The Alchemist's Return
by Fearel
Summary: After Shamballa-Ed is sure that he can't return home- but Al isn't. As they search for the bomb Al forms a plan to get home.Wile Winry struggles to accept that they won't return, Roy starts to rebuild his life. when another countries spies report that the only thing stopping them from taking Amestris is the General, Riza must protect him until she becomes a target ROYXRIZA EDXWINRY
1. Chapter1 Reunion And Farewell

The alchemist's return

By Fearel and Artemiskey

Disclaimer: I do not own fullmetal alchemist

Hey i'm Fearel. This is what I think happened after conqueror of shamballa. please read and review but don't be two hard on me as this is my first fanfiction. Even though this is under my account It is really a coauthored work by me and my friend Artemiskey. Please forgive any spelling or grammar arrears on my part. So go on read and injoy!

This chapter

Riza-By Fearel

Winry-By Artemiskey

* * *

Chapter1 Reunion And Farewell

The Gateway.  
The ultimate medium of equivalent exchange.  
Those who pass through it may find themselve  
in an alternate world to their own.  
But in those days read believed  
that the risks involved were just too high

Riza ran toward the rapidly descending zeppelin. From down on the ground she hadn't been able to get a clear view of what was happening above her. _Down on the ground… where He had left her_. She shook her head to clear it. No time for that now, no time for the worry that clawed at the back of her mind, no time for anything but running. She had to get to the dissenting zeppelin had to make sure, make absolutely sure that he was okay.

She had seen the mass of alchemically made stone heading for the zeppelin, had seen not one but two blonde heads aboard it. She knew it meant, Edward, he had finally managed to return from beyond the Gateway. Then she had watched as the Generals course converged with that of the 2 brothers. She had seen the gouts of flame, which could mean only one thing, appearing around the zeppelin's sides. But then the flames had stopped. She had seen the larger piece of the zeppelin pull away under its own power heading for the whole in central city from which it had emerged, leaving the smaller piece to fall to earth. She had told herself that he could just as easily be on board the still airborne piece of the zeppelin, but somehow she was sure that was not the case, and so she ran.

She came to a skidding halt on one side of the crumbled ruins that had not so long ago held a market square thriving with life. On top of the water pooling around the fragments of the fountain that had once contained it, lay the remains of the smaller bit of the zeppelin, which she had been chasing. It was then that she heard the clank of metal footsteps that had become so familiar to her over the course of that long and extraordinary day. There were 4 of them, and they were coming from the opposite side of the square. Riza raised her gun and aimed it at the nearest of the 4 metal suits. She cursed inwardly for as she had raised the gun she realized that only 3 bullets remained. She had spent the rest of the bullets from this, and every other gun she had on her in the fighting earlier and except for the 3 bullets already loaded she was completely out of ammunition.

It was then that another sound distracted her. The sound was the scraping and clattering of metal similar to that of the footsteps of the approaching armor but this sound was coming from inside the pile of scrap metal that had once made up part of the zeppelin. As Riza watched part of the metal was pushed aside by a white gloved hand and a familiar head of raven black hair poked itself up out of the rubble _Roy…_

He did not see Riza; he was facing away from her toward the oncoming menace. As he tried to scramble quickly out of the rubble so as to meet the oncoming armored soldiers head on, he slipped on the water pooling out from the base of the destroyed fountain. He fell forward and, instinctively and without thought put his hands out to break his fall. He landed lightly on hands and knees and jumped quickly to his feet, but the damage had already been done. His gloved hands were soaking wet.

Riza's relief at seeing him alive and well turned to fear as she saw his hands splash into the water, but as always she controlled herself, suppressing the fear and concentrating on what must be done. She raised her gun and fired twice dispatching two of the 4 armored soldiers advancing on her superior but now came the problem. The two remaining suits of armor were advancing purposefully upon him, he was unarmed and helpless and she had only the one bullet left. She had to do something, she have to stop them from hurting him, but she couldn't take them both down with a single shot _unless… _Riza took a second to aim very carefully; she couldn't afford to be off not even by millimeter_. Yes that was it_ she had the gun aimed just right she fired and the bullet slid straight through one of the eye slits in the nearer suit of armor and into the flesh of the man inside of it. He fell backward knocking into the armor behind him and pinning it to the ground with his weight.

As he heard the all-too-familiar sound of gunfire and his attackers collapsed nearly simultaneously in front of him, Mustang turned slowly around. He knew who he would see when he did and yet it seemed incredible to him how perfect her timing was. It had always been like that but even now he couldn't figure out how she managed to always appear whenever and wherever he needed her most. His black eye met her brown ones as he finally turned to face her fully. They stayed like that, staring at each other for a long moment before he broke the silence. "Well lieutenant" he said softly "it seems that you have saved my life once again."

* * *

Winry sat in the ruins of the capitol building at Central feeling numb

She knew what Ed and Al had done. They had chosen to go through to the other side of the portal and now they were gone forever and never ever coming back.

Why did they always do this to her? They always left her behind! As a kid, because she was a girl, when they left, because she wasn't an alchemist and now. Now she was left behind because she wasn't up there with them.

She didn't know the last time she would see Ed was just to give him his automail she spent the last two years putting together, knowing he'd be back.

But as soon as he left to fight, before Winry could even chase after him, she and Sheska were attacked by a few of the suits of armor. Sheska somehow had a pistol and began nervously shooting at the suits of armor- and surprisingly hitting a few...

Winry had thrown some of her tools at them, then realizing that she could use her wrench to unscrew some bolts, and using her mechanical knowledge, she got behind some and caused them to collapse.

Then she picked up her case and she and Sheska began to walk back to the main plaza outside the capitol building.

Now hours after they had traveled back through the portal, Winry sat, just sitting. Processing everything. She felt guilty; she had promised Izumi that she'd take care of them. She felt sad; because now it wasn't just Ed, now it was Al too. She had lost both of them. But what bothered her most of all was that she didn't know if they were still alive.

"Winry?" Sheska said touching her shoulder.

Winry looked up.

"I think you should go back to Resembool and I think I should go with you."

Winry just nodded.

The next day they boarded the train to Resembool. Soon they were at the station and walking back to her house. As they got to Ed and Al's house, Winry broke into tears.

"Winry. It's okay." Sheska said crouching down to where her friend kneeled in the dirt.

"No. It's not okay! My two closest friends are gone! Both of them!" Winry sobbed, "and I'll never see them again..."

Moments later they reached Winry's house.

Sheska knocked at the door.

"Winry! Sheska! Back from central so soon? Where's Al?" Panako said when she answered the door.

Winry broke down into tears again.

"I think we should talk after Winry goes and cleans up." Sheska said.

Winry went to the bathroom and quickly began trying to dry her tears.

She could hear Sheska telling her grandmother everything.

"We were in central when a portal opened up, and these huge suits of armor came out, and we had to fight them, there was a huge battle. We saw Ed, he had come back through the portal, but in order to bring the intruders back, and make sure it never happened again, he had to close the portal, on both ends. So he went through and Al went with him."

"Winry is going to have a hard time living with that." Panako said.

Winry walked out of the bathroom and turned to her grandmother.

"I'm going to go work now... don't bother me unless it's necessary." she said then went to her room to change and then went to the shop.

Winry examined her designs for Ed's most recent automail and then she saw some places where she could make it even better.

And so she began to build.

Ed would be back. _He'll find his way back._ _He will always come back._

* * *

Next time: Ed and Al meat Lust and Scar and begin there travels in search of the Nuclear bomb. Wile back in Amestris Mustang begins to try to put Central and his own life back together, but not everything is as peaceful as it seams!

So how did we do? I'd love to find out so please review!


	2. Chapter 2 Moving Forward

I would just like to say thanks to everyone who favorited fallowed or read this story!

This is a co-authored work between myself, Fearel and my friend Artemiskey!

Enjoy! And please review!

I do not own Fullmettle Alchemist

This chapter

Roy Mustang-Fearel

Alfonse Elric-Artemiskey

* * *

Chapter 2 Moving Forward

The Gateway.  
The ultimate medium of equivalent exchange.  
Those who pass through it may find themselve  
in an alternate world to their own.  
But in those days really believed  
that the risks involved were just too high

Mustang turned to survey the once familiar office of Central command. It was even more tidy than he remembered it, the papers, which had only been stacked in his day were now neatly organized by folder, on each desk sat a standard variety of supplies along with a nameplate and that days schedule, all but his. It stood on the opposite side of the room facing the door. On it sat a well-polished nameplate with the words " Brigadier General Roy Mustang" engraved on it, other than that it was completely bare.

Mustang turned from his empty desk to look at the only other one that stood apart from the main group of desks in the center of the room. It stood by the window, a small black and white dog lay curled up on top of the desk chair, and on the desk itself among the neatly stacked folders, was an equally well-polished nameplate with the words "Lieutenant General Riza Hawkeye" engraved upon it.

"Lieutenant General hu? You didn't get around to mentioning that did you Hawkeye." "I thought that was irrelevant Sir" Riza said from where she stood her usual two paces behind him, as he surveyed the office. "Irrelevant hu? When it took me nearly 10 years to reach that rank and you've done it in two" He said favoring her with one of his sardonic smiles. "Yes sir", "well we'll see about that. But you must have your own group of staff now sincere general and all." Riza shook her head "no sir," "yes sir no sir" he echoed mockingly " what is it with you today? I'd like a little bit more of an explanation if you wouldn't mind giving one Lieutenant." Riza cleared her throat "well sir it's just that for the last two years all I've been doing is leading the group in your absence. Now that you've returned however there is no reason that things should not return to the way they were prior to your departure." Mustang frowned slightly "are you telling me Lieutenant that all you've been doing for the past 2 years is been acting as a placeholder for me until I returned, and that now that I have you have no interest whatsoever in maintaining your command?" As Mustang spoke he turned so that his remaining eye studied her face intently for any sign of hesitation or any other emotion that his statement might have caused. "That is correct Sir" she replied her face betraying no emotion. "Well I…"

He was interrupted as second Lieutenant Falman entered the office carrying an enormous stack of paperwork. First Lieutenant Breda followed him with an even larger stack that promptly fell to the floor as Breda, spotting Hayate, jumped in fright and scrambled for the nearest bookcase. Mustang smiled slightly at the familiar antics–2 years and things were still the same–the smile fell off his lips as he saw on whose desk Falman was placing the immense stack of paperwork. "All that can't be from me" he exclaimed. Hawkeye, who had knelt to pick up the papers that Breda had dropped, straightened up and gave him a slight smile "naturally it is Sir. After all as one of the countries high ranking generals you receive a larger amount of paperwork then you did as a colonel, and of course you are already two years behind."

While Mustang groaned in dismay, Hawkeye walked over to Mustang's desk, placed the 2nd pile of paperwork next to the 1st, whistled to Hayate, who at hearing her signal left off her chair and trotted over to stand beside her, and left to see where Havoc and Fuery had gotten to. As Breda, still shaking at his close encounter with "the embodiment of evil and destruction" also known as Lieutenant General Hawkeye's dog, began to clamber down from the bookcase on which he had taken refuge, Falman began to update Mustang about the current situation.

"There have been serious casualties both military and civilian in the wake of what is quickly becoming known as the battle of the alchemist's return, both in your honor and in that of the fullmetal alchemist, the earthquakes and the explosions have also added to the catastrophe. The earthquakes in Leor seemed to have died down but they have caused some setbacks in the Leor restoration project. The border skirmishes with Drachma have entirely ceased in the last week since the earthquakes began, the border skirmishes with Creta however have increased, presumably because they believe that we are weekend in the wake of this tragedy. Finally droughts in the Southeast around the area of Ishval are threatening the population in that area."

Mustang nearly rolled his eyes when he heard this list of catastrophes that he was supposed to find the answer to, _and I thought I was done with being snowed under when I left the North_ he thought, "well" he sighed "at least Drachma's quiet for the moment."

The words had barely left his mouth when he heard the footsteps of someone running down the hallway outside. Moments later Fuery burst into the office panting for breath, as everyone stared at him he managed to blurt out "it's Western Headquarters, they're under attack! I think… I think they're going to fall!"

* * *

Alphonse Elric sat on one of several fallen tree trunks gathered around a fire. He sat in between his brother and their new friend Noah, across from them on a separate log sat a few gypsies that were traveling with Emilio and Carmen, this world's versions of Scar and Lust, who were sitting on the log to right of where Al was sitting. Al found this strange, because in almost every confrontation he had ever had with either of them, usually ended badly- like Scar trying to kill Ed, but the result was the destruction of his automail and almost half of Al's armor. On Lust's behalf, wherever she went, conflict ensued.

"So what are you boys doing on the road?" Carmen asked.

"I'm a traveling scientist, my brother here just comes with me since our parents died." Ed said, without missing a beat from the cover story he had come up with when Noah was out of earshot.

"Is that so?" she purred.

Emilio handed them bowls of soup from the large cauldron

"Yes ma'am, our mother died of illness and our father was murdered." Al said, not a complete lie, but it omitted specific truths.

"Eat up." Emilio said gruffly.

Ed gave him a glare before beginning to sip the hot soup filled with various pieces of food.

Al lifted his spoon. What appeared to be in this soup were beans, beef (formally jerky) and some potatoes. He sipped it up and let its warm taste soak in his mouth.

"So where you guys heading?" Ed asked.

"To the nearest town, we're looking for some odd jobs there." Emilio answers.

Al looked at his brother and they nodded.

Al had barely touched his second helping when a very large boy with a round face sitting on the other log looked at him and asked; "are you going to eat that?"

Al just looked at him. "Um no. Would you like it?"

"Thank- you- very- much!" he said, suddenly snatching the bowl from Al's hands.

He slurped it down directly from the bowl, then leaving lots of soup on his face.

"Guillermo, wipe your mouth." Carmen said flatly.

They boy wiped his mouth with his large wrist.

That's when Ed and Al recognized him.

Ed shivered and Al backed up a bit. This was Gluttony. The creature that had eaten through Al's breastplate, and literally ate people.

"I'm sorry for my brother's manors, he's such a handful!" she purred.

"Brother?" Al exclaimed.

"Yeah. That's my 12 year old brother," she said.

" You two look nothing alike." Noah said

"Yeah. Hard to believe." Emilio said sarcastically.

"So, anyway. What type of town are we heading to?

"A small farming town, nothing major." a gypsy girl said.

"Oh." Al said, he guessed it would be safe there, there wouldn't be anyone searching for them there.

* * *

-A few hours later-

The wagon had stopped and the group had camped for the night.

"Al." Ed said, shaking him awake.

"What brother?" Al asked.

"Just come on!" Ed said, pulling Al across some hills.

"I need to find the bomb. It doesn't belong in this world." Ed said determinedly

"I'm helping you."

Al knew that he had to agree to help his brother. He knew that once his brother was hooked on a goal, he was going to achieve it, even if that coasted his own life.

"Thanks Al."

"Okay. Where do we start?"

* * *

Next Time: The First Waves OF War: West city is under attack by who? how? and what can Mustang and the team do to help from so far away? Also on the other side of the gate Ed and Al run into some old friends? meat the other Mustang!

So what do you think? Please tell me. I may be a mind reader but your mined would be a lot easer to read if you rote your thoughts down somewhere...like a review.(; Just saying


	3. Chapter 3 The First Waves Of War

Hey so heres chapter 3 As always this story is a coauthored work. I am Fearel and my coauthor is ArtemisKey. I would just like to say to everyone apprised by school and homework HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

I sorry about any spelling or grammar mistakes on my part.

Disclamer:We do not own FMA

This Chapter

Fearel-Riza

ArtemisKey-Ed

* * *

Chapter 3 The First Waves Of War

The Gateway.  
The ultimate medium of equivalent exchange.  
Those who pass through it may find themselve  
in an alternate world to their own.  
But in those days really believed  
that the risks involved were just too high

Riza looked up as the sound of running feet announced the Generals arrival in the communications center. He was followed in short order by Falman, Breda who looked around nervously to see Hayeta was in evidence, and Fuery who was still panting for breath.

"Lieutenant" Mustang snapped as soon as he had his breath back, "what's the situation?" "Sir" Riza said giving a quick salute "Western command is under attack. Drachman forces have somehow managed to approach Western command unobserved and are now assaulting West city." "Drachma!" Breda sputtered "but that's impossible! Drachma can't get to West city, there separated by the Brigs Mountains and the only pass through the mountains is up north and is guarded by Fort Brigs! Do you mean to tell us that Brigs has fallen and we didn't even know about it!?" Riza shook her head "they seem to have circumvented Fort Brigs altogether, I believe they have discovered a new pass through the mountains near the Cretan border." Mustang nodded in agreement "now that I think about it that makes sense I…"

Before Mustang could finish his sentence Riza held up one hand for silence, the other hand pressing the headset she wore closer against her ear. She listened for a moment then said, "It appears that Drachma has been working on developing and enhancing the limited amount of alchemy it once possessed. I'm told that there are now several accomplished alchemist's fighting for Drachma." Mustang frowned "I thought Armstrong was stationed in the West, surely these Drachman alchemists can't be any trouble for him." Riza shook her head "he was redeployed Leor to help with the restoration 6 months ago." Mustang's frown deepened "who else is there then." Hawkeye turned back to her headset and repeated Mustangs question into it. There was silence for a few moments and then she said "the garrison is under the command of Colonel Jackson and as for state alchemists the Western command currently hosts Lieutenant Colonel Knightley the Silver Alchemist, Major Johnson the Ironclaw alchemist, and Major Jasper the Sable Alchemist." Mustang raised an eyebrow at her "Sable Alchemist?" " Sable Alchemist Major Emily Jasper, confirmed as a state alchemist a little over a year ago Sir."

Mustang gave a curt nod and then went back to figuring out the defense of West city. Before he had finished his deliberations Riza began once more to relay information. "Sir, enemy forces have surrounded West city on 3 sides, they have breached the cities Western defenses and are currently attempting to get close enough to Western headquarters to make a direct attack."

"I'll need more details on the current situation as well as the strength and positioning of the Western Garrison." Riza and began questioning the person on the other end of the line and relaying the answers back the other men in the room. As she did so the entire communications Center went silent, listening closely to every word she said. Riza could feel the tension building in air with every word she spoke. The effect was unnerving but she continued relaying information as though nothing was wrong.

At last the general held up his hand "enough." Then he turned to address the rest of the room "I want everyone out of here right now. I need to concentrate. Caption" he said turning to Maria Ross who was the head communications officer for Central command. "Take this lot to one of the smaller communications centers and began relaying the information we obtained. I want Eastern, Southern, and Northern command notified immediately, also notify Fort Briggs, and Colonel Armstrong who is currently stationed in Leor. Then I want you to go straight to the Senate and get authorization for me to lead a counterattack against Drachma." Ross saluted and she, and the rest the communication staff vacated the room. "Now" Mustang said turning back to his team "I'll need a detailed map of West city and the surrounding area, as well as markers to mark the location of various military units." Falman saluted and left followed by a still panting Fuery, and Breta who was still apprehensively looking around for Hayate.

Mustang he turned back to Riza and asked "anything else to report?" She shook her head and he side then he took a deep breath and began to speak. This time it was not in the official tone he been using earlier, but instead in a tone flavored with some odd emotion that Riza could not place. "I know this isn't really the time Lieutenant but there is something I need to discuss with you. I was trying to bring this up earlier but we were interrupted." She just stood there watching him in a kind of confused expectation. "Now that the Senate is back in control the country the highest rank to which any military official to rise is to that of General, it means then I may not be able to rise any higher in the military then I am already. As for you, you are a Lieutenant General; you have the potential to become one of the highest ranking military officials in the country. I know how often in the past you have refuse promotions so as to remain under my command. You say you were just filling in for me while I was gone but I know you have the potential to do a lot more then that, which is why I need to know now. I won't be angry if you say no but I just needed to no."

Riza blinked, trying to digest exactly what he had just said or more exactly what he had not said then realizing that he expected her to answer she said "Sir you haven't asked me anything." Now it was Mustangs turn to blink in confusion, then he took another deep breath and said "I want to know if you… If you will still follow me." Riza took a deep breath, the answer should have been simple but it wasn't. Why did her stupid heart have to be so fast, why did his question have to affect her so much. Riza shook her head to clear it and realize too late that he took it for her answer. "I see well then I…" There was an odd empty look in his eyes as he spoke, he turned away from her, fiddling with some papers on a nearby desk. "Sir I" "no no Lieutenant it's all right, you don't have to explain." He said quickly cutting her off. "Sir" she said beginning to become annoyed "I was shaking my head to clear my thoughts, that was not meant as a response to your question. The answer" she said taking yet another deep breathe, "The answer is yes. I will continue to follow you no matter what."

He turned back around to face her, an odd hungry expression on his face but before he could say anything the door creaked open and Breda and Falman reappeared carrying a large tactical map. Fuery entered right behind them, carrying a box of different colored thumbtacks to use as markers, the microphone crackled to life and on the other end of the line someone from Western headquarters began relaying more information.

As soon as the table was set up and marked with the positions of various military units Mustang began to deliver orders for her to relay. "Tell Colonel Jackson to take Ironclaw and a 3rd of his forces and engage the main enemy body. Have Ironclaw lead half of these forces against the enemy in open combat while the Colonel takes the other half and attempts to cut them off from their allies around the perimeter of the city. Have the Silver Alchemist handle the defense of the city's border with the 2nd 3rd, and send the Sable Alchemist around through the cities eastern exit with the remaining men. She is to attempt to catch them off guard from behind." While Riza related the General's orders the men waited in tense silence to hear their result. Many extremely tense minutes past with no word from Riza before she began again to relay what was occurring in West city.

"The flanking maneuver seems to be working against the main body of troops that have entered the city but the enemy rapidly appears to be breaching the northern defenses." "Tell Major Jasper to take her half her troops and assist." Riza nodded and relayed the order, a few more minutes passed before she spoke again, then she said, "something's happened to the Sable Alchemist. Her troops were being annihilated by an enemy alchemist, and she went to engage him, she hasn't been seen since. She was silent, listening for another few minutes and then she continued "the attackers who entered the city from the west have been driven back, but the northern defenses have been breached and the enemy is pouring in, the Silver Alchemist's forces are spread to thin, they can can no longer contain the enemy."

"Tell Colonel Jackson to take Ironclaw and the remainder of his troops and reinforce the northern defenses." Riza relayed the orders and then once again silence fell. As the minutes ticked by Riza wondered what was happening. It seemed an eternity before she received more news from West city.

When it came it was only one sentence. Riza took a long breath and then turning back to the others she repeated what she had just been told.

"Sir, West city has fallen."

* * *

After arriving in the small town they were heading to; Ed and Al stood in line at the phone booth waiting to call Gracia to see if she could get any information from Hughes on the Thule society. Currently, they were first in line; there was a man in the phone booth chatting away.

They could hear his conversation through the door that wouldn't close properly.

"Yeah, and it seems like the Frenchman is busy trying to ruin my crops again! Why can't he just mind his own business?" he said as he leaned against the phone booth wall, the phone was slightly away from his ear.

"I don't know... I have no connections to farm work, but a proper military assault should do!" the voice on the other end responded quite loudly.

"I'm not lighting his crop on fire" the man inside the booth said.

"Why? You did it before!"

"That was because it was war- this guy just has vendetta on me because I won Riza." the man in the booth said, obviously smirking.

"I got to go... things are really getting messy here..." the voice on the other end of the phone said.

"You know... since everything is going tense, and you are higher up in the military, you need people who support you. You should really find yourself a wife," the man in the booth said.

The man on the other end of the phone hung up abruptly.

Outside the booth, Ed and Al laughed. They were laughing so hard, Ed failed to notice that the man had exited the booth.

"What's so funny?" he said from behind them.

Ed and Al turned around to face none other than Roy Mustang.

"Um... you remind us of someone we know." Al said, being that Ed was in complete shock seeing his former boss- here, in this world.

"This is an un-notable, small town, what are you guys doing here?" he said

"We're traveling scientists. We're just passing through displaying the new advances in science." Ed said, breaking from his phase of unbelief.

"Aren't you a bit young for scientists?" the other Mustang said.

"No." Ed said

Mustang shrugged.

"I'm Roy Mustang; farmer in this small town." he said as he extended his right hand

"Edward and Alphonse Elric." Ed said, then shaking the other Mustang's hand.

"Shouldn't you be in school? How old are you guys?" Mustang asked.

"I'm thirteen." Al said.

"I'm eighteen." Ed said.

"Aren't you a bit short for eighteen?" the other Mustang asked sarcastically.

" WHO- ARE- YOU- CALLING- SO- SHORT-YOU- CAN'T-SEE-HIM-FROM-UNDER-YOUR-PAPERWORK- YOU- MORALLY- BANKRUPT -CORNAL- WITH- A- GOD- COMPLEX?!"

"Brother!" Al cried, while pulling his brother back from a very embarrassed and confused Roy Mustang.

"Forgive him, he doesn't like being called short..." Al said while throwing his brother into the phone booth.

Ed finished glaring then turned his back on his brother and Mustang to call Gracia.

He deposited the fare then the operator picked up and Ed gave her the number.

Gracia picked up on the other end.

"Hello?" Gracia said.

"Hello Gracia, It's Ed."

"Oh Hi Ed! How are you?" Gracia said on the other end.

"Good. Hey I need a favor..." Ed said

"What do you need Ed?" Gracia asked

"I need you to talk to Maes Hughes." Ed said.

"Why?" Gracia asked on the other side of the phone, a bit agitated.

"I need you to ask him if the Thule society is still located there. Please?" Ed begged

Gracia was quiet for a little while.

" Please, this would mean a lot to me." Ed said.

"Fine. How do I contact you?" Gracia said.

"I'll call you soon. Okay?" Ed said.

"Okay, that's fine. Hope I'll hear from you soon Ed." Gracia said.

"Thank you so much." Ed said.

"Bye." Gracia said.

"Bye."

Ed exited the phone booth to see AL and Mustang talking.

"You know Maes Hughes?" Al asked surprised.

"Yeah, he and I were both privates in the military together- he's still in it, I left shortly after, I never exceeded a private. I wasn't cut out for the military, I'm just a farmer," the other Mustang said.

"Gracia says she'll help us." Ed told Al

"Okay." Al said to his brother, "Roy was just telling me that he knows Hughes."

Roy? His brother was calling Mustang, Roy? Ed was very confused at this.

"Is that so?" Ed said.

"Yeah." said the other Mustang, "where're you boys staying?"

"We were traveling with some gypsies, they're at the fairgrounds." Al said.

Ed thought about Edilo and Carmen- he found it amazing how Scar and Lust were married in this world...

"Well, are you going to be returning to them?" Mustang asked.

"I don't think we will." Ed said.

"Well, you boys seem capable, and I need some help around my farm. My neighbor keeps sabotaging my crops..."

"Sure!" Al said before Ed could object, "We just need to get our friend Noah."

"Alright, meet me back here when you're done."

Ed and Al went and got Noah before returning to Mustang.

"Roy Mustang, pleasure to meet you Miss Noah."

"Pleasure." she said.

They loaded into Roy's truck.

"Okay, a few things;" Roy said, "When we get to my farm, I have a Fiancé, don't make her angry... trust me..." He said. "Second thing- don't trust a man named Jean Havoc- he is my nemesis, and French, so be careful." then Mustang started up the car and began to drive.

"Havoc is your nemesis?" Al said

"Yeah." Mustang said, ending that conversation.

Ed and Al began laughing, which then turned to chuckling as they tried to stifle their laughter. Jean Havoc was Roy Mustang's nemesis in this world? And for none other than stealing a girlfriend... seemed like things would never change.

Ed began to stare out the window, thinking about the bomb, and how to find it.

The Thule society must have that bomb. If they were so set on finding "Shambala" then the failure they just faced would make them vengeful. Who knows what they'd do with that bomb…

* * *

Next Time: Turning The Tide: What do you mean West City has fallen!? How is that even possible? What Will the General do now? And where the heck has Havoc bin this hole time? On the other side of the gate new clues to the location of the bomb begin to appear. Also Welcome to the Mustang farm meet his gun happy Fiancé and his french nemesis...Havoc!

Small authors note: We will try to post a new chapter every sunday but if we miss a week please forgive us...we are both students with multiple homework abscessed teachers who think there class is the only one!


	4. Chapter 4 Turning The Tide

Hey I'm Fearel, and as always this Is a co-authored work, ArtemisKey is the other co-author. sorry this chapters a little late but I think this is by far our longest chapter yet so I hope you enjoy. Also by the way HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hey everyone! I'm ArtemisKey (call me Artemis if you want), you may have seen me review on other fics, or even happened upon some of my stories (if you haven't thats okay) and I haven't said anything to you yet! so HI! other than that- Fearel and I work really hard on these chapters, and even if we are doing just fine with our writing we would really like you to please please please leave a review! Positive, negative, we'd like to know! just please no flames... (even if you believe yourself to be Mustang) We only want Constructive critisism, so yeah, review! I also want to apologize for this being late- it's my fault it is because i procrastinated on a school assignment and have been spending my school break working on it! other than that, that's why my chapter is so long! ENJOY!

Disclaimer:we do not own FMA...but ArtemisKey dose own a red sweeter with a black pattern on the back and she is the shortest one in her family...

This Chapter

Roy Mustang-Fearel

Edward Elric-ArtemisKey

* * *

Chapter 4 Turning The Tide

The Gateway.  
The ultimate medium of equivalent exchange.  
Those who pass through it may find themselve  
in an alternate world to their own.  
But in those days really believed  
that the risks involved were just too high

Relieved? He felt relieved? West City had fallen thanks to a strange alchemist using a strange sort of alchemy. Both the Ironclaw Alchemist and the Silver Alchemist were reported dead. Mustang had never much liked Ironclaw, who had been the nephew of the Ironblood Alchemist and had acted way too much like his late uncle, but he was still the state alchemist and his death was troubling. Even more troubling to the General was the death of the Silver Alchemist Lieutenant Colonel Knightly. Knightly had been a state alchemist long enough to have fought in Ishval and had been one on the first State Alchemists to back the Senate after the fall of the Bradley administration. Any Alchemist who had been strong enough to kill him was definitely a force to be reckoned with. As for the Sable Alchemist, she and nearly half the troops she had commanded had vanished and were still missing. Colonel Jackson and his men had retrieve and were holding the eastern boundaries of West City. The General was himself on a train bound for West City and would soon be going into combat. All this and he felt relieved?

True there were many other emotions overpowering the relief, grief at the death of two State alchemists and over 100 Amestrian soldiers, shock at the suddenness of West city's capture and the unexpected nature of the assault, and overriding it all a boiling mass of cold anger. Yet it was there, somewhere at the back of his mind, relief. She would still follow him. She would still watch his back. She, and there could only be one she in the General's mind, would be beside him through what was to come. No matter what they faced in West City they would face it together.

The rest of the morning had been a blur to him. It had begun with a shocked silence in the communications center. It had continued as they organized a counter assault to retake West City. It had deepened with the news of every new fatality. It had abated only twice since the news had come about West Cities fall. Once just long enough for Caption Ross to tell him that he had received immediate and unanimous consent from the Senate to lead a counter attack and take whatever other measures he felt necessary.

The second time had been when in the process of organizing troops, he Breda and Falman had stumbled across Havoc. Havoc had been leaning against the desk of a pretty brunette secretary. He and the secretary had been chatting, and Havoc had looked annoyed when he noticed his superior bearing down on him. "First Lieutenant don't you think you have more important things to be doing" Mustang said pointedly. Havoc shrugged "oh come on Chief there is nothing going on around here." "Nothing?" Breda sputtered. "Do you call the death of two state Alchemists, not to mention West City falling to Drachma nothing?" As Breda spoke Mustang watched the blood drain out of Havoc's face. When Breda finished Havoc leaped to his feet sputtering incoherently.

As Mustang turned away from the still flabbergasted Lieutenant, he raised one hand over his shoulder giving a little wave and a wink to the secretary. Out of the corner of one eye he saw the secretary blush and return the wave. Out of the corner of the other eye he saw Falman restraining Havoc as the still incoherent Lieutenant attempted to get close enough to strangle his superior.

Mustang was shaken out of his reverie by Fuery entering his compartment to tell the General that they would be arriving in 15 minuets. Mustang nodded and hurried to the front of the train to order the commencement of phase 1 of the operation. The training skidded to a stop a little over two miles from the frontline. All of the soldiers and the train's staff disembarked except for Havoc, Fuery, Hawkeye, and the General. The soldiers divided into thirds. One third would go directly to the front lines to reinforce Colonel Jackson. The 2 remaining thirds would separate. One, under Falman's command, was going to attack the city from the north. The other, under Breda's command, was going to attack the city from the south.

Mustang and the remainder of his team waited a little while to allow everyone to get in position and then it was up to them to begin the assault. Fuery went to the engine room and set the train in motion. One person could not drive a train for very long, but Fuery new what he was doing and they didn't have far to go. Before they had left Central Mustang had made some alchemic modifications to the roof of the train. On the roof there were now 3 sets of metal braces that would allow a person to balance safely on top of the train and hold on without requiring the use of hands. One brace was positioned at the front and center of the train; the other 2 were behind and to either side of the 1st one. Of the other 2 the one on the right had a niche in it where one might rest a sniper's rifle. The one on the left was equipped with a machine gun.

The General climbed out onto the roof and positioned himself in the foremost bracket. Hawkeye and Havoc followed. Hawkeye took up her position, sniper rifle in hand, on his right. Havoc took up his position on the left and swung the machine gun around to face the left side of the tracks. The train station was situated at the very heart of West city so to reach it they would have to pass through nearly half of the city. Drachma would expect the Amestrian Army to use the railroads to retake the city and therefore they would be ready and waiting a long either side of the track.

Mustang was not disappointed. As the train reached the edge of the city nearly 100 Drachman soldiers began firing at the train. Soon however it was they who were under fire, literally fire.

The troops had been firing at the windows of the train cars, which they assumed contained an army of Amestrain soldiers and had not noticed the three figures on top of the train until it was too late. Mustang snapped his fingers to either side of the train and the soldiers erupted in flames. Hawkeye and Havoc fired at all those who Mustang missed and guarded his back from any possible attack.

As they neared the station Fuery slammed on the brakes to keep them from entering the confined tunnel, which led into the station, where they could be cornered and overwhelmed. With a few more snaps of his fingers Mustang cleared the area of enemy forces, then he Havoc and Hawkeye quickly descended from the train. Fuery flung the engine room door open, pushed the train into full throttle, and while it was still just beginning to move, he leapt out the open door rolled and scrambled to his feet.

As the now empty train speeded toward the station presumably inhabited by at least a brigade of enemy forces, Mustang and his team ran to the nearest roofless abandoned vehicle and jumped in. Fuery drove at a breakneck speed for Western command. Mustang knelt on the front passenger seat one hand raised and ready to snap. On the back seats Hawkeye and Havoc knelt on either side pistols drawn. As enemy troops raced toward the car Mustang snapped and blasted them out of his way while Havoc and Hawkeye opened fire on them from behind.

As soon as they reached Western command the 4 of them, Fuery also having drawn his gun, leapt up the steps and burst through the doors guns blazing. What they met inside was not so much an organized military base, as a panicking mob, a rather small panicking mob. There were only a few enemy officers and communications specialists left inside Western headquarters. Almost the entire enemy force was either situated around the boundaries of West city vainly trying to repel 3 onslaughts at once, or had been annihilated by the General and his team on the way in. It was not long before the few who remained in Western headquarters had been either killed or taken prisoner and Western headquarters was once again under the command of Amestris.

Fuery as the technology wiz took command of the communications office and began contacting Breda, Falman, and Colonel Jackson. All three invasion forces reported that thus far they were having success, the enemy defenses were crumbling, and thus far there had been no sign of enemy alchemists. However both Falman and Breda reported that Drachman reinforcements appeared to be approaching the city from the West.

Mustang was just beginning to try to devise a plan to deal with the oncoming enemy forces when Falman reported massive explosions coming from the direction of the Drachman reinforcements. There were a few tense moments of silence and then the communication equipment crackled into life and a female voice on the other end said "Sable Alchemist Major Jasper reporting in." "Major" the General barked " this is Brigadier General Mustang, where have you been and what's your position?" "I'll make my full report later Sir, but for now suffice it to say that I and my men are behind the enemy reinforcements and are positioned to eliminate them." Mustang nodded even though the Major could not see it "very good commence attack immediately." Then turning to Fuery "tell Breda and Falman that as soon as they have penetrated the city they are to take their forces and attack the enemy reinforcements from the front so as to sandwich the enemy between my forces and Major Jasper's."

It was not long after that, that Fuery reported that Colonel Jackson was making one last sweep of the streets but other than that West City was once again under Amestrian control. Also that Falman, Breda, and Major Jasper were on their way to make their reports. Mustang was of course smugly triumphant at their success, but one thing continued to nag at the back of his mind. The enemy alchemists, where had they gone, and what would happen when they returned.

* * *

- Meanwhile on the other side of the gate-

The truck lurched violently as the other Mustang made a sharp turn. Ed's head hit the dashboard and he cried out in pain. As he lifted his head, grasping on to it with his left hand, Ed glared at the other Mustang.

"What was that for?!" Ed exclaimed, now nursing a new bruise.

"Nothing, I just needed to turn to get into my driveway." The other Mustang said nonchalantly.

Ed continued to nurse the bruise then looked into the back seat to see if Al and Noah were okay.

"You guys okay back there?"

"We're fine!" Al said while rubbing his elbow.

Noah just nodded.

The other Mustang pulled up to an average sized farmhouse with blue shutters.

A woman stood off in the distance collecting eggs from the chicken coop. She turned on her heel when she saw the car pull up.

Ed could only tell she was a woman; a straw hat covered her face.

They all exited the car.

"What took you so long Roy? You've been gone since sunrise!" she said.

"Nothin' I got some farm hands." The other Mustang said.

She took off her hat, and that's when Ed and Al saw her face.

It was Hawkeye.

Before they had heard him say Riza on the phone, but neither of them were around enough at Central or even Eastern Command, to know her first name.

"Hello. I'm Riza Hawkeye, Roy's Fiancé."

Ed's jaw hit the floor.

"Nice to meet you." Al said pleasantly while closing his brother's jaw.

"Um- your name is-?" She asked, obviously unaware that her fiancé would be bringing home help.

"Alphonse Elric. And this is my older brother Edward."

Ed was still too busy grasping the fact that Hawkeye was Mustang's fiancé.

Meanwhile Noah had introduced herself.

"Roy. May I speak to you for a moment." Riza said stonily.

"Sure." The other Mustang said, oblivious to his fiancé's wrath.

Ed stood near the truck, gathering his baring's, then began to laugh.

"What brother?" Al asked.

"It's just Mustang and Hawkeye... it's hilarious!" Ed laughed.

Al began to laugh. Noah looked at them with a confused look.

Mustang came back looking a bit defeated.

"Riza said you could stay, but I can't pay you."

"That's fine. I think we can come to some arrangement." Ed said.

Al looked confused. Ed just winked at him.

The other Mustang thought for a moment.

"Okay, fine. But first we need to fix a fence." He said.

* * *

Ed and Al stood fixing the fence while the other Mustang napped under a nearby tree.

"Why doesn't he just get up and help us? It's his fence!" Ed said.

"Well, he's still Mustang, no matter what work it is, he will always find an easy way out..." Al said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

They continued working on the fence.

Suddenly a young man wearing a hat and glasses appeared on the other side of the fence.

"Hello- I see you're working for that lazy bum over there." he said- pointing at the other Mustang. The man spoke in a French accent.

" Yes, we are... who are you?" Al asked him

"No one special." He said, "Just thought you could use some help..." He said.

"Gee, thanks!" Ed said.

The Frenchman began helping them, but it didn't really help, in fact his help slowed them down and made them have to redo steps multiple times.

"HEY! GET AWAY FROM THERE HAVOC! MIND YOUR OWN BUISNESS!" the other Mustang yelled while quickly standing up from his nap.

"Havoc?!" Al screamed. The man now known to be Jean Havoc retreated to his farm.

"I told you boys not to trust him!"

"We didn't know it was him! He never introduced himself!" Ed said, protecting himself.

"Humph." the other Mustang said, "just finish the fence." then he retreated back under the tree to continue his nap.

They boys turned back to the fence.

Ed instinctually clapped his hands.

"I wish I could use alchemy..." Ed sighed.

"Its okay brother, its not that bad..." Al said while picking up a set of clippers.

"Yeah, I guess so... it just felt so great once I was on the other side of the portal, and I used alchemy again... some days I really miss it."

Al paused but then continued fixing the fence.

Ed helped him and soon they were done.

"Great job boys, lets go back to the house."

* * *

They sat in the study.

"Okay, so we're going to help you- but we're going to need some sort of payment." Ed said.

" I'm not paying you in money." the other Mustang said.

"I'm not asking about money, but we do need help in finding this bomb..."

The other Mustang looked at him.

"What sort of bomb?"

"A really dangerous one that deconstructs atoms." Ed said, "So my proposition is that we'll work for you and you help us find this bomb."

The other Mustang let out a long whistle.

"Seems pretty dangerous."

"It is... especially if it falls into the wrong hands." Ed replied.

"Well there needs to be a bit more for me... I mean this bomb seems really important." The other Mustang said.

"What do you want?" Ed asked.

"Besides farm work- I want you to help me get revenge on Havoc, you see he's been destroying my farm... and I just want to get even."

"Deal." Ed said.

* * *

Next Time: Making Choices, Facing Facts: We no the present government is VARY different from the way it was when Bradley was in charge but what is it like now. With West city once again under Amestrian control what will Drachma do now and what can Amestris do to prepare? What about the mysterious alchemist? Also what about Winry? What has she bin doing all this time and what will she do when she receives a strange offer? Is she prepared to work for the government?

Soooo what did you think? how did you like it? PLEASE REVIEW!


	5. Chapter 5 Making Choices, Facing Facts

HI I'm Fearel and I would like everyone who read favorited or followed this story but in particular I would like to thank our first reviewer Dreamer372. I'm sorry this is slightly late but its bin a busy week and I spent spent a good part of the day trying to get a couch aka horse to move... And then there was the season premiere of Downton Abby...;)= Well anyway enjoy and please review!

Please forgive any spelling or grammer mistakes

Hey everyone I'm Artemiskey! Yay! Chapter 5! And I personally want to thank you all for reading!

Just a quick note that yes, a character I created is in fact named after Santa's reindeer, but it's the meaning of the name that is important.

Anyway Please review, we really want to know what you're thinking or feeling about the work!

So yeah! Chapter five!

Disclaimer: We do not owe FMA

The Drachmans: Fearel

Sheska: Fearel

Winry: Artemiskey

* * *

Chapter 5 Making Choices, Facing Facts

The Gateway.  
The ultimate medium of equivalent exchange.  
Those who pass through it may find themselve  
in an alternate world to their own.  
But in those days really believed  
that the risks involved were just too high

In the windblown heights of the Southwest tip Brigs Mountains, where the wind was cold even in the spring stood the tents of the mighty Drachman Army. Outside one tent in particular, a big blue and black one set apart from the others, stood six men. One wearing a large furry hat with an ostrich feather perched on top of it as a symbol of authority addressed the other. He did not speak in the language of Amestris but if he had it would've sounded something like this. "I see so this Flame Alchemist this Brigadier General Mustang it is he who is behind our defeat. He is not only the one who devised the scheme by which our troops were defeated, but he also was the alchemist to carry out the scheme and also almost single-handedly defeated over 100 of our soldiers. This man, this man is dangerous, even if our defeat was only a minor setback, this man could be the undoing of our entire plan."

Then addressing one of the 5 directly, a tall burly man with unruly black hair, he said; "what of the other alchemists? Those who you faced, Do they still live?" The burly man shook his head and held up two silver pocket watches engraved with the Amestrian lion "no fear they are destroyed. The 3rd one and her troops were blown up so completely that the pocket watch was destroyed along with its master."

The man who had spoken 1st, who was obviously their commander nodded. "Very good, they must not live to report on the secrets of our alchemy. To them, all that should be known is that we wield and alchemic power the likes of which they have never known. We no that the state alchemists are the backbone of the Amestrian Army and that once we have defeated every last alchemist Amestris will be right for the taking. Now, this flame alchemist, he could prove a problem. We did not know that he still lived. We have heard legends about him, him and the one they called Fullmettle. They were said to be the 2 most powerful alchemists in all the land. We believed that they had vanished years ago but it seems that in the case of the Flame General at least we were mistaken. We must watch him, see where he goes and what he does and how powerful he truly is."

* * *

Sheska slumped back against her desk chair. It had been a long two weeks, a long and exhausting two weeks, a long exhausted and alarming two weeks, a long exhausting alarming and… Well it had been a long two weeks.

Mentally Sheska counted the number of things that had gone wrong during those two weeks. 1st there had been earthquakes in Central and Leor. Right after there had been the mysterious invasion in Leor. Next there had been the Battle of the Alchemists Return and if Sheska took the time to list all the bad things that had happened during that battle she would still be listing when the Senate reconvened on Monday morning, and as it was now only a little past noon on Friday that was saying something. Then on top of everything there had been the Drachman assault out of nowhere!

Sheska rubbed at her forehead in exhaustion and sighed. Aliens, that was the only way to explain it, the Drachman forces must be allied with aliens. How else could they suddenly gain that sort of alchemic power?

"Senator Sheska, I believe you something to present to the Senate?" Sheska shook her head disoriented "I hu what…" "I said," the speaker repeated sounding rather annoyed, "that I believe you have something to present to the Senate." "To present? I err um… Oh right yeah!" Sheska stood and cleared her throat "I have received the latest reports from West City.

West city is again completely under Amestrean control. The enemy has retreated to the border. We have attempted to identify the route they took the through mountains but for the moment we have not yet discovered it. Although many of the enemy were killed or wounded during the 1st assault it appears that more have arrived in the enemy camp since. They are still well equipped and still pose a substantial threat.

More worrying to me however are the reports of enemy alchemists using a new sort of alchemy. We have always known that it is our alchemic power that has protected us from Drachma. There country is both larger and more highly populated then ours however due to the feudal system of their government and their lack of any significant alchemic abilities has always rendered us more than capable of nullifying any threat they may pose. Now however if their alchemy has increased to the point that they are a match for our State Alchemists then I fear we may be in for a long and bloody war.

Colonel Armstrong has arrived at Western headquarters and will be assuming control of the Western defenses as Colonel Jackson was injured in the recent battle. Brigadier General Mustang, and his squadron will be returning to Central headquarters to discuss further actions that must be taken to defend Amestris, along with Major Jasper who wishes to make a full report on the enemy alchemists. You will receive a fuller report when we arrived in Central. Sincerely Lieutenant General Hawkeye." Sheska said, recalling the entire report perfectly from memory.

When she finished she was silent for so long that the speaker had to prompt her to continue. " Senator Sheska? Is that all?" "What oh um no" Sheska said shaking her head violently. "Major Jasper is outside, she wishes to address the Senate." There were some nods and murmurs of agreement and then the double doors of the Senate swung open to reveal the Sable Alchemist.

Emily Jasper was a young woman probably in her early 20s. She was about average height and she had black hair, which she wore tied back in a ponytail. She had laughing green eyes accentuated by black eyeliner, and she also wore a small amount of reddish lipstick. She was dressed in her battlefield uniform, that is to say pants rather than the skirt most women officers wore a more formal occasions. On her hands were black gloves with steel backing, which was polished as brightly as a mirror. The steel stuck out straight a full inch past the edge of her knuckles and though the edge was curved with the shape of her hand it had been sharpened so that it made a blade perfect if hand-to-hand combat became necessary. On the center of each piece of steel was a transmutation circle painted in black.

Major Jasper walked down to the front of the room so that she could address the Senate. She saluted the Senators and began to speak. "Major Jasper reporting in. I will make a formal report to Brigadier General Mustang but for now I will cover only those matters which seem necessary to bring to the Senate's attention.

After my troops and I were dispatched to flank the oncoming forces we were attacked by an enemy alchemist. His alchemic power was of a sort I had not seen before. It had rained the day before and everything was still quite wet. He used his alchemy to manipulate the water, freezing and expanding it in ways I had never seen. I think, though I'm not sure, that he even froze the moisture in the air and used that against us. He transmuted and manipulated the liquid around faster than I've ever seen before. It was all my men could do to dodge his attacks. I attempted to use my own alchemy against him, but as quickly as I destroyed the things he made, he created more. He made Spears for the most part, small ones, big ones, fluid teeth of ice, several of my men lost limbs to his attacks.

For those of you who do not know my alchemy involves the manipulation of light and reflection. Channel light intensely enough and with enough force and it can cut through steel. I use the reflections on the back of my gauntlets to create just such beams of light. No matter how fast I did so, no matter how many times I concentrated the heat from my reflections to melt his ice, he simply moved the ice as water or missed and reformed it elsewhere.

When I realized that there was no way I could win I decided that it made more sense to protect my men then to continue the fight. There was a wall nearby and I drew my men back toward it. When we reached it, I gathered them all between me and the wall, and made it appear as though he had trapped us there. I waited for his next attack, and when it came I pretended to overreact.

When light and heat are concentrated in one location fast enough they created an explosion. That's what I did. The explosion created light which would have blinded us, but I transmuted the light so that it reflected back on itself and created to shield of smoke and shadow all around us, which appeared to be the natural shadow given off by the wall as well as the leftover effects of the explosion. I hoped that the explosion would kill or at least blind the enemy alchemist, but I saw that somehow he managed to survive. However he thought that we had all been disintegrated.

My men were injured and tired, and I was so exhausted from my use of alchemy that it made sense to remain where we were, and rest for a little while. When we had recovered sufficiently we continued on with our mission, but we maintained radio silence so as not to draw the enemy's attention. We managed to get behind the Drachman reinforcements and when we saw the flames on the horizon and realized that Amestris was making its counterattack, we broke cover and attacked."

When the Sable alchemist finished speaking the entire Senate hall was silent and more than half the senators had turned pale at this description of Drachman alchemy. It was Sheska who, getting tentatively to her feet, broke the silence. "I think," she said hesitantly, "I think we all owe a debt to Major Jasper here for giving us a report on the enemy alchemy. I also think that without Brigadier General Mustang we would not have retaken East City at all. So I think that at least for the duration of this war we should make him commander of the armed forces of Amestris."

More than half of the senators nodded and murmured in agreement, but several were not so sanguine about the idea. One of them, a tall balding man, leapt to his feet and shouted "and put this country back under the rule of the military! Never!"

"You are forgetting that it is the Flame Alchemist who freed us from Bradley's tyranny and returned power to the Senate" Sheska countered. "And I was just proposing it for as long as this war should last. It doesn't make sense to have all the Generals fighting each other for authority instead of fighting the enemy." They were more nods of agreement and several people shouted to 2nd the motion. Someone else proposed that they vote on the matter immediately, and before Sheska new what was happening the motion had been carried and her proposal had become official.

Sheska's head was whirling nothing ever happened this fast, not ever! Then someone else began to talk about how many soldiers have lost limbs in the battle, and how they weren't enough good automail mechanics around. "As to that" Sheska said still shakily "I think I know just the person."

* * *

Winry Rockbell was tinkering at her bench. She was building an automail hand for a client. She tried to drive all the thoughts of _them_ out of her mind, but they kept resurfacing. How Al would laugh at his brother after Ed would mess up with his words, or his comforting words and gentle smile. Or Ed's smile and the way he ranted about being short.

She seemed to cry more at Ed's memory. It had been just a few days since she had seen him. Before then, he disappeared and she had come to accept that Ed would never return- but then he did. And those moments, no matter how small they were, they were so surreal, and yet so real. It was just so- so amazing. One second he wasn't there the next he was. It had seemed like an eternity those two long years, and then it only took a few moments when she gave him his new automail, to give her hope. She thought he would stay. But he didn't. And that broke her heart. Her heart broke even more then after Al decided to leave.

Winry began to tear up over the metal hand that had formed on the bench. The tears fell heavier and heavier. The tears turned into sobs, and the sobs turned into heart wrenching cries of anguish. She fell into a chair.

"WINRY!" Her grandmother shouted from across the house.

"y-yeah?" She sniffed.

"There's someone here to visit you!"

A visitor?

"I'll be down in a moment!" Winry said

Winry wiped her eyes and washed her face. She ran down the stairs.

A young woman, in her late teens stood by the front door.

She was tall, with dark hair, tied back in a bun, and light blue eyes. She stood, twiddling the end of her sleeve.

She wore a traveling outfit of all black, with pants, and a long coat.

"Are you Winry Rockbell?" She said.

"Yes I am."

"Hi." she said with a bounce, "My name is State Alchemist Major Aurora Blitzen. I've been sent by the Senate to offer you a position."

"What position?"

"An automail mechanic for the Amestrian Army."

"Um- I don't know..." Winry said

"Winry just take the job!" her grandmother yelled from a chair. "You'd be more useful helping people then moping about the house!"

"I guess I have to take it. But on one condition-" Winry said, her eyes drifted to the pocket watch at Major Blitzen's waist "I want to be able to take apart and examine a state alchemist's pocket watch!"

"Okay, we'll write that into the contract. So we leave tomorrow- is that enough time to get your things together?" Major Blitzen asked.

"I think so."

"Great." the Major smiled.

* * *

-The next afternoon on the train-

Winry watched Risenbool faded into the distance.

"The countryside is so beautiful," Major Blitzen said.

"I guess it is... I mean, I've lived here my whole life" Winry said.

"Yeah, it's just beautiful, I've lived my whole life in the city."

"Really?"

"Yeah. My parents own a store in Central. I've lived my whole life on those streets. My brother and I." she smiled before beginning to tear up.

"What's wrong?" Winry asked.

"Um... nothing..." Major Blitzen said "its just that, he died. Electrocuted." she began to bawl.

" Oh I am so sorry!" Winry said, moving across to the other seat, and wrapped her arms around the girl shivering with tears.

"I mean, he didn't mean to- he just didn't know!"

"Know what?"

"To wear rubber boots... to stop the lighting- that's why I always wear them..." She said.

"Oh that's okay, no one can ever predict when lighting strikes." Winry said.

"He was trying Lighting Alchemy... I've perfected it- but only after his death... we'd always work together- you know?" Major Blitzen said.

"You invented lighting alchemy?"

"Yeah- me and him. We always worked together."

A lump formed in Winry's throat.

"Ed and Al always worked together." Winry said.

"Friends of yours?"

"Yeah."

"What happened to them?"

"I'd rather not talk about it."

* * *

-At central-

Major Blitzen escorted Winry to the primary office where she was sighing her name on to a contract that would make her an official automail mechanic for the military.

"That will be all Miss Rockbell." Said the head of the engineering department

"Not so fast- in my terms and agreements I was supposed to get a state alchemist's pocket watch to take apart."

"See Major Blitzen, she'll get you one." He said.

Winry exited the office and turned to her new friend.

"I'm supposed to receive a state alchemist's pocket watch." Winry said to her

"Here's one- its not been used in forever." She said, handing Winry the silver watch engraved with the Amestrian lion.

While walking out the door, Winry turned the watch in her hands, examining every inch of it. It was well taken care of, with a few small dents.

Halfway through the courtyard, Winry had finished looking at the exterior of the watch and then opened the lid.

There were words engraved inside the cover which read

"Don't Forget 3 Oct 10"

Winry dropped to her knees, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

This was not any pocket watch. It was Ed's.

"Winry, are you okay?" Major Blitzen asked

"It's his..." she sobbed.

"Who's?"

"Ed's..." Winry said, barely able to choke out the rest of what she wanted to say. "The Fullmetal Alchemist's."

* * *

Next Time: The Tide Of Fate Begins To Flow: Things are set in motion that will change two worlds forever. Wile Mustang begins to plan a defense agents the enemy alchemists he douse not realize that his shadow and protecter is not the only one flowing him where ever he goose. What about the defense of the west? How many alchemists work for Drachma and how powerful are they? What will they do with the stolen pocket watches? Also who has the bomb now? where will they go and what will they do? What can the other Mustang do to help Ed and Al? And what douse he want them to do to the other Havoc?

Hey so what did you think? Did you like our girls chapter? What about those Drachmans? Do you like the stile in which we are writing this? We both value your impute so please leave a review!;)=


	6. Chapter6 The Tide Of Fate Begins To Flow

Hey everyone! I just want to make a quick announcement that from now on, we'll be updating every other week, because of our schoolwork.

We appreciate your support.

PLEASE REVIEW!

- Artemiskey

Hey it's Fearel and like Artemis said because of ever increasing homework from evil teachers who think that giving us an extra DBQ essays to do for practice without giving us any credit for it as well as the real one is "a grate idea" we will only be able to publish every other week or so. Now look we want to right this in the best way possible which means we need feedback! Anything is appreciated! Wether it is the story is moving to fast or the story needs more detail or I don't like how you write this caricature or we don't see anuf of this caricature or even just I'm exited for the next one. what ever you have to say we would LOVE to hear so PLEASE REVIEW

Disclaimer:we do not own fma

This chapter:

The Drachmans-Fearel

Roy Mustang-Fearel

Alphonse Elric-Artemiskey

* * *

Chapter 6 The Tide Of Fate Begins To Flow

The Gateway.  
The ultimate medium of equivalent exchange.  
Those who pass through it may find themselve  
in an alternate world to their own.  
But in those days really believed  
that the risks involved were just too high

The whistle of wind around the mountain ledge was precaution enough against eavesdroppers. No one standing more than 30 paces away could hear a word that was said. As the large black and blue command tent was the only available hiding place on the ledge none of those now occupying it were particularly worried.

They were all silent except for one man who was addressing the 8 others in front of him. The speaker was dressed in the same military style as the others. A uniform of dark blues and blacks clearly made to ward off the cold of the iciest winter of the heights of the Brigs moutons. The only difference in his appearance was that he wore a tall furry hat from which protruded the feather of an ostrich. He did not speak in the common language of that land but rather in a different tong. Yet if he had spoken the common language his words would have been these.

"Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces hu? This, this could prove very tricky. I had hoped that we might learn something of flame alchemy from him. Now however it seems we can no longer afford to let him live. We knew, yes we knew he would be a threat but we had not imagined it would be on this scale. If he lives he may in time be a truly fearsome opponent. If we destroy him now we may weaken their resistance. They will say 'if even our greatest general, our flame alchemist is no match for them then they must indeed be strong.' They will ask each other whom they in can trust to lead them now the flame has been extinguished but they will never agree on an answer. They will be afraid and they will be divided. It is then that we will strike and they will fall."

He turned to 3 of the men who stood a little way apart from the others. "You have done well thus far my friends, you followed the Flame General while he remained in West city. Now I will ask you to go further. You 3 are all trained specially to observe and to eliminate. I will supply you with the uniforms of dead officers of Amestris, fortunately it seems that you will have your pick for there are plenty to go around. I wish you to journey to Central city and retrieve for me a token. I will pay you well for the token I seek. I wish for a pocket watch, not just any, I wish for the pocket watch, which you will take from the lifeless corpse of Roy Mustang.

* * *

It was well past dark on Sunday night when Mustang finally left Central headquarters, and he was exhausted. True he had just finally achieved his goal. He had become the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Amestris. After all those years of waiting and scheming he was finally on top, but it had still been a long and exhausting day.

The Senate had postponed the formal inauguration ceremony and festivities until the end of the current crisis. _By which time_, some small part Mustang's brain thought wryly, _they will have concluded that the crisis has passed and that they no longer need the military commander and so they will be too busy demoting me back to my former position. _

Another rather larger portion of his brain was wondering or rather fearing what Hawkeye would say when she found out that he had left headquarters without her or any other bodyguards. _She's going to kill me. Why did I do it? Sheesh can't a guy get a break. I just wanted some time to think without a bunch of watchdogs tailing me. It's not like I'm in imminent danger or anything. She's still going to kill though. _

The majority of his brain however was busy with the details of the war. Things like the number of wounded men that could be rehabilitated and would return to active duty. The number whose wounds were minor enough that they would be recovered within a couple of weeks. The various commanders at his disposal, their competency and experience levels, and the accessibility of their forces. The number of state alchemists he could muster to fight against the Drachman alchemists and the details and feasibility of a dozen plans circulated through his head. He was also keenly aware that he could not move forces away from either the Cretan or the Aerugoean borders where border skirmishes where an all too frequent occurrence. Nor could he move troops down from the Briggs Mountains and Northern Command just in case Drachma decided to strike there as well in an attempt to catch Amestris from behind. Really the only place he could look for reinforcements was Eastern Headquarters where the desert created a half-country sized gap between Amestris and its nearest easterly neighbor, Xing.

Mustang had just reached this point in his deliberations when he heard quiet footsteps behind him. He turned, 1 hand instinctively half raised fingers rubbing together prepared to snap, to see a youngish looking soldier. The young man had blonde hair little darker than Havoc's, maybe a little taller with slightly broader shoulders then the newly promoted Caption. He walked casually behind the General hands in pockets slightly hunched. When he saw that Mustang had spotted him, he halted and gave a quick salute. "Did Lieutenant General Hawkeye send you?" The soldier nodded " She did Sir. 1st Lieutenant Marsden at your service, she told me to follow you and make sure you got home safe."

Mustang sighed, it was just like her to notice his absence and send someone keep an eye on him. He was rather surprised that she hadn't come herself like she would have in the old days, but then she was probably still sitting in his, her, they're office, still up to her eyeballs in paperwork. "Very well then Lieutenant we better be getting on." They walked for a few blocks in silence but when Mustang made to turn onto a main street Lieutenant Marsden put out a hand to stop him. "Better not go that way Sir. There was a rather large accident a block or so up earlier this evening. No one was seriously hurt but I hear the street still blocked. That way would be faster," he said gesturing at a nearby side street. With a nod and another long-suffering sigh Mustang turned and headed in the indicated direction.

They went about another block in silence before something else happened to pull Mustang out of his thoughts. More footsteps approaching him, from the front this time. Once again he raised his right hand, fingers barely touching, and behind him he heard the soldier click the safety off his gun and point it over his superiors shoulder. The man who came around the corner this time looked a bit older then the General with brawny muscular arms. The man was smoking a cigarette and by the light of the slight flame at its tip Mustang could see that he to was dressed in a military uniform.

The older man had also drawn his gun when Mustang and his escort approached, but unlike the two of them he did not put up his weapon at the site fellow soldiers. Instead he smiled and said in a voice that was heavily laden with a Drachman "drop those weapons or you both die where you stand." Mustang heard the chink of stone on his left and quickly turned to see a man appear on the roof of the warehouse next to him and aim a gun straight at the hapless Lieutenant. Mustang cursed inwardly, he could of course have roasted both men on the spot, but Marsden was standing almost directly in between him and his rooftop assailant. Mustang could not get at the man without reducing Marsden to ashes in the process.

Cautiously he raised his still gloved hands to shoulder height and Marsden, after setting his gun carefully on the ground did likewise. Although Mustang noticed there was another gun in the holster hanging for Marsden's belt. Mustang was just wondering if he could somehow signal the man to move out of his line of fire without it being too obvious, when he heard the click of a trigger being pulled back and turning found that his 2nd assailant seemed to be about to fire. Then everything started happening at once.

Quick footsteps echoed down the street, unusually loud in the silence. Mustang had just time to think _oh great another one_ when the 2nd assailant jerked the barrel of his gun upward so that it was aimed not at Marsden but the General. He fired before Mustang had time to react. Mustang stumbled forward feeling as though something had just barreled full speed into his side. Then he realized that indeed something or rather someone had really just rammed into his side pushing him safely out of harms way. His 1st thought was of Marsden but the tall Lieutenant did not appear to have moved. Then he heard the crack of 2 almost simultaneous gunshots, the cry of the rooftop assailant as Mustang's savior's bullet buried itself in his arm and the thud of his now miss aimed shot as it dug deep into a brick wall.

Mustang herd the stick of the safety being switched off of a gun and turned to see his 1st attacker pointing the weapon directly at Mustang's head. Before he could fire however, Mustang snapped his fingers and the man went up smoke. Mustang turned to see the now unguarded Marsden draw his 2nd gun aim it, not at his injured assailant, but rather at the General himself. Mustang surprised lasted just a few seconds too long, so that by the time he registered that Marsden was in fact on the attackers side rather than on his the treacherous lieutenant had fired. Once again his unknown defendant reacted faster, pushing him to the side in an attempt to knock him out of harms way. This time however it seemed that his protector had moved a little too slowly. Mustang heard the all-too-familiar snick of a bullet cleaving flesh but oddly enough he felt no pain. It was Marsden who cried out as a bullet dug deep into his arm, presumably fired from the gun of his protector. He heard the crack of gunfire and pulled his unknown ally down as a bullet whizzed over their heads, which Mustang realized must've come from is already injured rooftop adversary.

He lunged forward, dodging another shot from Marsden, pulling his defender, who seemed to be moving slower now, with him and snapped his fingers blowing the warehouse roof and the man on top of it sky high in the column of flame. He heard the crack of gunfire and turned to face Marsden only to find that the latter, having only just dodged a shot from Mustangs ally by the skin of his teeth, was now fleeing down the nearest side street. Before Mustang could give pursuit the treacherous Lieutenant dashed around a corner and disappeared into the night. He turned back to his defender to see by the light of the still burning warehouse that it was Riza.

"Lieutenant what are you doing here?" She turned and glared at him "following you Sir. You took off on your own after everything that's been happening lately didn't you think I'd follow you!" "I'm glad you did," he said softly. He hoped for a smile or maybe even a blush but all he got the discussed snort. "I shouldn't have had to. You should know better than to go wandering off on your own the time like this."

He sighed, typical, if he had use that line of any other girl she'd have fallen all over him. He knew of course that Riza wasn't like other girls but he had hoped for some reaction. Maybe just abashed look, or nod of recognition, something, anything, that would show that he had made an impression. But of course there was nothing. When would he face the fact that she just didn't have feelings for him? Out of all the women in Amestris she was probably the only one completely unaffected by his charms, unfortunately for him she was also the only one for whose attention he really cared.

It was then that he noticed the blood trickling down her left arm just below the shoulder. "Hawkeye your injured!" She shrugged, raising her right hand to cover the spot, "it's nothing Sir. I was a little too slow the bullet just nicked me that's all." "It's clearly not nothing Hawkeye, here let me take a look at." He leaned forward and grabbed her arm, pushing her other hand away as he did so, turning it so that the firelight illuminated the gash on her arm. Fortunately it didn't appear to be too deep, although since it was bleeding quite profusely he couldn't be sure.

"You need to have this seen to right away." She shook her head "after what just happened aren't there more important things for you to be worrying about now Sir. Also I have to see that you get back to headquarters safely." He sighed, "I suppose you're right. We had better get back the headquarters and report what just happened. But as soon as we get there you're to go straight the nurse to have that seem to, that's an order." Was he imagining it, or had he just seen a momentary small smile play across her lips, as she saluted him and they turned and headed back in the direction of Central Command. As they walked back however he was far from being in a smiling mood. He knew he should be thinking about the recent attempt on his life, but all he could think was that she was injured and that once again it was all his fault.

* * *

-meanwhile on the other side of the gateway-

Alphonse Elric lay on his bed, facing up at the celling.

"Strange day wasn't it." Al stated.

"Yeah. You'll get used to it."

"Everything is so different here!"

"Well, you'll get used to it."

The room grew silent

"Brother?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever miss home?"

Ed sunk back into his pillow deep in thought.

Al knew he did. Just by how he moved. He just wanted his brother to admit it. Al didn't want to feel alone.

"Sometimes." Ed said.

"I miss Winry, she looked after me while you were gone."

"Yeah. Winry." Ed said, obviously smirking and looking at his arm.

"I feel kinda bad leaving her there, she must be really upset. I wish we could see her again."

"I do too... but Al, that's not possible. We can't go back. We chose to come here in order to save our world. So lets face it... we are never going to see Winry again." Ed said, depressed.

They sat in silence for a few minutes.

Al began to laugh.

"What?"

"Nothing..." Al said thinking about the single time his brother ever beat him in a fight...

Ed must have given a strange look then went to sleep, because soon Al heard snores coming from the other side of the room.

* * *

-The next morning-

They had been up since the crack of dawn.

It was noon. Al had begun to feel the effects of fatigue after having to first work out the chores then he and Ed having to heard the sheep.

"Here" Ed said, handing his brother a sandwich while they sat beneath a large tree near the fence they had mended.

"Sometimes I miss being a suit of armor..."

Ed stared at his brother for a second.

"Well I guess it was easier..." Ed said.

"But I would never trade my body back for a suit of armor!" Al said catching himself... Ed was sometimes very sensitive on this topic- especially because he lost an arm...

Al began to eat.

Before Ed could respond, the French Havoc stood at the fence facing them.

"Hello!" he said.

"What do you want Havoc!" Ed snapped, because if there was one thing that Ed didn't like more than being called short was to be made a fool of.

"Oh I was just going to offer to help!" he said with an accent

"Last time you helped you made more work for us!" Al said.

"All is fair in Love and War." Havoc said, "that Mustang will pay! RIZA WAS MINE!"

Ed and Al began to laugh.

"You think this is funny!" Havoc said.

"Yeah. It's hilarious. You never stood a chance against Mustang!" Ed said, obviously trying to make Havoc upset.

"Why you little-" he said before saying some choicest of swearwords and calling Ed short in French.

"You want to say that in a way I can understand you?" Ed said sarcastically

"You pipsqueak I'll crush you like an ant!"

'WHO ARE YOU CALLING PIPSQUEAK SO SMALL YOU CAN CRUSH HIM LIKE AN ANT! ITS NOT HIS FAULT THAT HE DIDN'T DRINK HIS MILK BECAUSE HE DIDN'T LIKE IT?!"

Al was tempted to say that that's not what Havoc had said... but then that would be wrong.

"Brother!" Al cried as Ed reared up and smashed Havoc in stomach with his metal arm.

Soon, Ed realized he would be in trouble.

"RUN!" Ed said as Mustang pulled up in his truck.

"I was coming to see how you boys were doing wit-" He stopped suddenly.

His face was still in its usual fixed scowl, soon it turned into a smile.

"Good job boys. I'll take it from here." He said smirking.

Havoc quickly slumped away before mustang could get ahold of him.

Ed and Al went back to the farmhouse.

"He knew that was going to happen!" Ed said, slamming his fist against his metal leg.

"When did you think he'd do anything different?" Al replied to his brother's anger.

"Yes. This Mustang in this world is different- or so I thought."

" So you thought." Al said.

"You don't need to rub it in." Ed said smirking.

The boys sat at the kitchen table. Ed was cleaning his boots and Al was mending his coat that had been ripped recently.

Riza walked in and saw the boys sitting at the table.

"Hello boys."

"Hello Ma'am" They said in unison.

"Have you gotten thought your chores?"

"Yes Ma'am" Ed said.

"Has Noah been of any help?" Al asked.

"Yes. She's been really helpful."

"Great!" Al said.

Riza turned to the stove and began to stir a pot on a stove.

Noah strode through the door with a basket with bread in it.

"Hello everyone. I've got the bread for dinner!" She said joyfully.

"Thank you Noah." Riza said as Noah handed her the rolls.

"You're welcome Ma'am." She said, then she turned to cutting carrots.

Ed and Al continued their activity.

Soon Mustang stumbled through the door, his foot stuck in a bucket and mud on his face.

"What happened?" Riza demanded.

"HAVOC! THATS WHAT HAPPENED!" He roared.

"Come here!" Riza yelled pushing her fiancé into nearby chair and began rubbing butter around his foot in the bucket.

She began pull at it and Mustang began to scream in pain.

Ed and Al stood staring at this insane scene unfolding in front of them.

"Noah! Help me!" Riza said through gridded teeth, still pulling at the bucket.

Mustang began to scream.

"JUST STOP IT ALREADY!" he exclaimed.

Ed and Al just laughed.

"BOYS GET YOURSELVES OVER HERE!" Riza screeched.

The boys knew what would happen if they didn't.

Now the four of them were trying to pull the bucket off Mustang's foot.

After more screaming and pulling, Riza, Noah, Ed and Al were all drenched in sweat and the bucket then lay on the floor.

Mustang got up and grabbed a towel.

"That Frenchman will pay!" he proclaimed.

* * *

-Hours later-

Dinner had been eaten and Roy and Ed were putting the animals away for the night. Al sat in his room.

Memories flooded back. He remembered people. Everything he had done to help people with Ed during their pursuit of the philosopher's stone.

He missed helping people. But he missed his home even more.

Al began to tear.

"Is everything okay?" Noah asked sitting down next to him on the bed.

"Yeah. I'm just thinking- about my home..."

"You miss it don't you."

"Yeah."

"Well, I'd miss my home too... if I had one." Noah said.

"Where do you come from?" Al asked her

"No where particular. We Roma are travelers, we never settle in one spot." She smiled.

"Ed and I traveled for a long time. But we always had somewhere to go back to." He said.

Before Noah could say more, Riza shouted for her.

Al sat on his bed, and thats when he made a vow to himself.

He would get himself and Ed home. Although Ed didn't believe it possible to go back; Al would find them a way back, even if it means abandoning Ed's search for the bomb. Al was going to find them a way back.

* * *

Next Time: The Futures Web Begins To Weave: You think the Drachmans are beat? RONG and this plan is more devious then the last! What can Riza do to protect Roy from? How far is she willing to go to keep him safe? What is the price she will have to pay? meanwhile where is the bomb? who is guarding it now? What is Ed willing to risk to recover it? What will Noah do to help him and why dose she want to help them so badly?

We would really appreciate any review. No matter what you have to say we would LOVE to here it SO PLEASE REVIEW!


	7. Chapter7 The Futures Web Begins To Weave

Fearel: I'M SORRY! I no I no this is REALLY late. Like I said on my profile Artemiskey and I would like to apologize for the lack of updates. Thanks to a nasty combination of midterms and both of us coming down with the flu we were unable to post this sunday. I would like to say we will not be this late again but that is partially up to you. After this next chapter we are going on strike until we get some reviews. Wile it may appear that we have received 9 reviews, 7 of them belong to eather Artemiskey or her sister. We have received only two reviews from a regular viewer so after this chapter we are not publishing any more chapters until we get three new reviews from regular viewers. I would like to thank every one who has read favorited or followed this story and a special thanks to the two people who have reviewed thus far. Sorry for some spelling and grammar mistakes. I hope this was worth the wait and I really hope you enjoy AND PLEASE REVIEW!

Quick note from Artemis:

Okay everyone, if Fearel hasn't already told you WE ARE GOING ON STRIKE! We demand 3 new comments from not me or my sister- so you better comment or else we won't post. (which means we could have a bunch of chapters already written and you will NEVER see them)

so yeah. We have a very interesting story ahead of us- and we haven't even gotten to the best parts yet!

so please COMMENT!

thank-you-very-much.

-Artemis

Disclaimer: we do not own FMA

The Drachmans-Fearel

Riza-Fearel

Ed-Artemiskey

* * *

Chapter 7 The Futures Web Begins To Weave

The Gateway.  
The ultimate medium of equivalent exchange.  
Those who pass through it may find themselve  
in an alternate world to their own.  
But in those days really believed  
that the risks involved were just too high

There may have been spring in the Valley air below, but night in the high peaks brought a winter like chill to the upper airs. It was for that reason perhaps that all 6 of the men who clustered around the portable phone were clad for a northern winter, or maybe it was simply that the heavy clothing was all that they possess. It was not how they were clad that brought these men importance but rather what they were saying. "Well this is unfortunate, very unfortunate. 2 of our men dead, our spies versed in the ways of silent retribution. It is a pity. Yes it is a pity, but you my friend still live and you can still help us in this cause." The man who had spoken the, one with the ostrich feather in his hat, he was silent for a moment waiting for a response from the other end of the phone. When it came he nodded saying "that he could my friend you are right. I will see to it immediately. Now what your own position?" Again he listened and a slight smile broke upon his lips as if what he heard had pleased him. "So you still have him under surveillance then? Very good, very good."

"Now," he said turning back to the others clustered around the phone, "I have a job for you." "For which one of us?" Asked a burly man who appeared to be their leader. "That shall be up to you, but it is a dangerous and important mission, a mission that will begin to weave our futures web, a mission involving this." He raised one hand, gloved fingers sliding away from what they held to reveal glint of silver.

* * *

The same? How could everything be so the same? How could it feel as though no time had passed at all? How could it be as though he had never been away? As though those long an empty 2 years had never happened? Riza Hawkeye wasn't sure whether to be glad or sorry. Everything had gone back to the way it was supposed to be. He was the General and she was the Lieutenant and that was as it should be but…

After the battle against Bradley he had looked at her with such warmth and regard, she'd even construed his words as a complement. Construed, more like misconstrued, it had been stupid, unfathomably stupid to think that those words meant anything more then an expression of how glad he was to be alive. Who could blame him after all he had gone through? It had been foolish of her to take those words of his as meaning that he had feelings for her when she new perfectly well that he did not. Why did her stupid heart have to continue to jump and leap as though it actually believe that there was still a chance of him caring for her? It had been years now since she had come to realize that she loved him but even as she'd come to that realization she had also come to the realization that he would never, could never feel anything for her. Why was she still wasting her time on this nonsense when she was supposed to be reading through the supply inventory and making notes on what would be needed for the war.

Riza tenants as something collided the back of her head, and she heard a snicker from Havoc's direction and a groan from that of her superior. She looked down to see what had hit her, and found to her great displeasure that it had been nothing short of the paper airplane. A paper airplane moreover that appeared to have been made from a very important looking document bearing the Senate's seal! "Sir, what exactly do you think you're doing," She growled whirling to face her superior who was attempting to look busy picking under his nails with his letter opener. "I was just… Well… There's just so much paperwork, and this document from the Senate just goes on and on and on..."

Riza advanced toward him slowly one hand straying to the gun on her hip. "Sir that boring Senate document as you put it is the official slumming up of your authority as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. You have worked for that title for nearly a decade, and now that you have finally achieved your goal your 1st instinct is to crumple it into a paper airplane and throw it away!" At this point Riza was standing over the desk glaring down at her superior who was nervously running one hand through his already messy hair.

The tableau was broken by a tap on the door. Riza whirled to face the intruder, only to step back quickly to stand politely next to her superior's desk, attempting to appear as though she had not been about to pull off his head and beat him around the shoulders with it.

The person who entered was a nervous looking young sargent. He looked around the office quickly as if unsure whom to address. Riza couldn't blame him. His 1st instinct would've been to approach the officer behind the desk that was separate from the others, but at the moment said officer was cowering in his chair, one hand thrown up to protect his face. His next instinct was to direct his gaze at the cause of the officer's fear, but after getting one good look at the still ferocious expression on her face he seemed to quickly change his mind. He next turned to the other men in the room who were still frozen in the positions they had been in when the Sargent had entered, none of which were very encouraging. Riza saw his eyes travel from Fuery, who was searching under his desk for the glasses he had dropped in a moment of sheer terror. To Falman, who was gripping the desk so hard his fingers had long since turned white. To Breda whose desk was closest to the Generals, causing him to throw himself against the far wall in fear of getting caught in the crossfire. To Havoc, whose hand was covering his mouth in a vain attempt to suppresses laughter.

At last turning back in Riza's general direction, the by this time bewildered Sargent said in a shaky voice "I-I have a message for Brigadier General Mustang."

Seeing that no one was about to answer Riza gestured peremptorily for him to bring it over and set it down on the Generals desk. He advanced hesitantly and placed a packet on the desk before backing quickly to the door. "If you wouldn't mind reading it now Sir… Only I was told to wait for a reply."

Mustang sat up straight in his chair and nodded curtly the Sargent. He picked up the packet made up of a piece of paper wrapped around a state alchemist's pocket watch. Mustang raised his eyebrows at the pocket watch but otherwise did not react. He read through the notes contests and then nodded at the Sargent. "Tell Major Brient that I'd be more than happy to meet him there immediately." Riza's expression turned from furious to curious. "Sir where are we…" "No it's all right Hawkeye you stay here, I'm just going out to lunch I'll be back in a while." Without further explanation, and before she could protest, Mustang had handed the pocket watch back to the Sargent and escaped out the door. Curious Riza reached over on to his desk and picked up the letter, it read:

_Brigadier General Roy Mustang_

I_ am Major Aalastor Brient, The Ice Blade Alchemist. I am including my pocket watch as identification. Although we've never met I hear that you have been put in charge of the entire Amestrein military. I believe therefore that I have some information that could assist you. I of course like every State alchemist have been made aware of the looming threat of the Drachman alchemists. I myself come from the Briggs area and practice a form of northern alchemy. Therefore I believe that I may be able to help you find the weakness in the Drachman alchemy. To these ends I would like the opportunity to meet with you for lunch, today if possible. There is a café by the pond at West Point Park that I think would be a most advantageous place to meet. Please send back word with this messenger._

_ Sincerely Major Alastor Brient_

Riza frowned she had never heard of the Ice Blade Alchemist. Then again ever since Mustang had gone north she had tried to ignore state alchemists, they reminded her that what the Senate was searching for in a state alchemist was a replacement for him. So she wasn't surprised that there was state alchemist she hadn't heard of, yet…

Call her paranoid but the General had just gone off to meet with this guy completely on his own and when it came to the General's safety Riza could never be too careful. Telling herself that she was just doing it to see what they had in the records about this alchemist's northern style alchemy, she ordered Fuery to do a complete background check on the Ice Blade Alchemist. Then Riza went back to her desk and attempted to focus on her paperwork while she waited for Fuery's report. She didn't have to wait long. 15 minuets later Fuery burst back into the room and announced, "Lieutenant General Hawkeye, you need to hear this, The Ice Blade Alchemist does not exist!"

Riza leapt to her feet knocking over her chair in the process. "What do you mean doesn't exist. It's only been 15 minutes, you can't have checked all the records by now, how can you no for sure?" "I didn't have to. I ran into Sheska, and I know she read the stated alchemists files a month ago for bedtime reading, so I just asked her, and she said he doesn't exist!"

Riza didn't waste any more time. She lunged for the note on his desk, grabbing it in one hand while with the other she rifled through the drawers until she pulled out his spare pair of gloves. Then she looked back at the note, scanning it for his location. _There is a café by the pond at West Point Park…_ A chill, colder then anything a Drachman alchemist could summon ran down her back, as she realized how much danger he was in.

Riza didn't bother tracking down transportation, she just ran. Some small part of her brain was laughing at the way history seems to repeat itself. For once again he had left her behind and once again she found herself racing across Central city searching desperately the General who was in grave danger, the General who she loved.

It was not very far to the café in question, yet not near enough to Central command for there to be a real military presence. As she neared the place she heard screams and saw people running in the opposite direction. Some of them shouted at her to turn back, and others noticing her uniform tried to capture her attention but she just pushed past them all and ran on. She was almost there, almost, just one more block, one more corner and there they were. Even if Riza hadn't been able to spot the General from a mile away she couldn't have failed to notice him. For one thing he was one of two men standing on a completely empty stretch of gravel by the edge of the pond, for another he was surrounded by fallen chairs, abandoned lunches, and the smoking wreckage of burnt tables.

As she approached she saw him lung at a thin man clad in the uniform of the Amestrein military, who stood on the other side of the wreckage, which curved around the pond's edge. She saw Mustang pull his left hand from his pocket and she saw the blood the that dripped from his right shoulder and arm and from the center of his right hand to stain the ground around him. She saw the man leap sideways, dodging the flames, to land in the water. If she had brought a sniper's rifle she would have been able to shoot the man from where she was, but she had only her pistols and they covered shorter distance. She saw the blue-green light of a transmutation and spears of ice erupt from the water. Her legs burned as she race toward him yet still she was not in range. She saw Mustang leap away from the Spears and she saw the tips of three of the icicles scratch down his still extended hand, ripping away his glove. Now she was in range.

She fired and her bullet dug deep into her enemies arm. Over the rapidly closing distance she could hear his cry of pain yet he did not stop. His other hand slammed down into the water, and our from under it came ice freezing over the water. It spread swiftly up the bank and across the ground until it pushed itself under Mustang feet, sending him sliding forward toward the edge of the pond.

She was close now very close, she fired again her bullet ripping through the man's leg. He plunged into the water, ice shards erupting from where he fell. Several of them grazing Mustang and one of them embedding itself deep in to his leg. She turned away from her fallen enemy racing toward her General where he scrambled to regain his feet. The hand that was not holding her gun dug into her pocket, pulling out his extra pair of gloves.

Then out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of blue green light. She turned her head as if in slow motion and saw a wall of water erupt from the pond, freezing as it came. She managed to shout a warning and she saw Mustang turn his head to face the oncoming ice. She saw him desperately scrambling to regain his feet but she knew he would never make it. She realized that even if he couldn't move in time she could. With the breath rasping in her lungs and the desperate pounding of her heart ringing in her ears, Riza leaped in front of the oncoming mass of ice. She saw the on coming blur of whiteness, heard a cry escape her lips harmonizing with that of the General, felt an explosive of pain in the side of her head, and tumbled backward into blackness.

* * *

If you had asked Ed if he missed Winry, he wouldn't give you a strait answer. But inside, he did. He missed her more than a plant would miss the sun or the earth would miss the sky why he was so upset when Al decided to name his kitten Winry.

"But brother! how could be so angry at such a cute little kitten!" Al cried at him, his voice dripping with baby-talk when referring to his kitten.

"I'm not angry at it!" Ed protected himself, bad enough he even let his brother keep the kitten this time... Ed had felt badly at the fact his brother left Amestris to be with him, so he let him have a cat.

"Then why are you yelling at me?"

"Did you have to have to name her Winry?"

"We're never going to see her again, and i felt bad about leaving Winry behind, so i thought naming her Winry was a good idea." Al explained.

"Boys!" Hawkeye yelled from the kitchen, therefore ending their conversation before Ed had the chance to respond to his brother.

"yes ma'am?" Al asked as they entered the kitchen.

"Today we are all going to town for supplies, be ready to leave in ten minutes, nothing more." she said.

"yes ma'am." Ed said, then he turned to get his coat.

They all piled into the truck, the brothers sat in the truck bed.

On arrival to the town, the group split into two. The fiance's went to take care of a few wedding errands and pick up some farm thing. The boys and Noah were free to roam around town.

Ed came to the idea to look for more information on the Thuel society, so they went into a bookstore to see if they could gather more information.

Ed began to search through the shelves, attempting to find anything on secret societies... but after looking book after book in the section, he found nothing.

He was now in a seperate room of the store, where a man in his mid fourties sat at a table sighining copies of a book.

"_The Lost Arts_?" Ed read out loud

"Yes that's the title." the man said

"What's in it?" Ed asked

"Oh, arts that we don't use any more; like witchcraft, worship to pagan gods, alchemy..." the man trailed off.

Alchemy. That peeked Ed's interest. Even if he lived in this world for two years, that word always interested him.

He grabbed a copy and searched the glossery for the section.

What he found there angered him. This man described it as more of an art form, which it was- but he was describing something like greco-roman art met algebra and there was a little bit of geometry in there too.

"This isn't alchemy!" Ed screamed at the man.

"Of course it is! I wrote this myself and did extensive research" the man exclaimed.

"the only thing you have right is the fact that you can't make anything out of nothing!"

"Don't be obsurd, i did research, this is alchemy, i am never wrong with my research." the man said pompously.

"Where's equivlent exchange? Where's the transmutation circles? where?" Ed pressed

"you're crazy."

The next thing that man knew, he was nursing a bloody nose.

"Arrest that boy! he punched me and insulted my work!"

The next thing Ed knew, he was being thrown out of the book store by two policemen.

Al and Noah ran out after him.

"Brother! What did you do?!"

"That guy! he got alchemy all wrong and had the nerve to continue to pass that off as alchemy!" Ed screamed back.

"why did you get thrown out?" Noah asked

" I punched him in the nose..."

"Brother! you have to be less impulsive!" Al screamed at him

"I know, i know..."

Right then the other Hawkeye called to Noah from across the town, and the boys continued to walked around town.

They strolled in the park.

"Did you find anything on the Thuel society before i was thrown out?" Ed asked his brother.

"No, it didn't seem like they had any books about secret societies."

Ed was furious. All that time wasted to just have nothing!

"Why can't we ever find information!" he roared.

"We do, it just takes a while, we'll find some- why don't we go call Gracia, we said we'd call back." his brother said calmly.

"sure."

they were walking up the stairs on the other side of the park when they saw of him.

What most people saw was two blonde twin brothers in their twenties. But Ed and Al saw much more; the eyes that led to a mind that withheld cold, calculating thoughts, the mouth that held a crooked, snarky, sarcastic smile and the tongue that spoke untruths.

The two young men that stood before them were Envy's true form.

Ed was frozen for a moment before the anger and the fear seapped through him.

the last time he saw those eyes, they had been staring him down before he was stabbed through the chest.

He attacked. His metal arm reared up and he grabbed one of them and held him on the ground.

Al stood paralized behind him.

"HOW DID YOU GET HERE!" he screamed at Envy.

"I walked, and do you normally just attack people while they're walking through the park?" Envy said.

"Don't bother with lies Envy! how did you get here! and back in a mortal form!" Ed screamed at him

"Okay, you are crazy."

Ed reared up to punch him when he was suddenly pulled off by the second Envy. Ed had not thought on how there would be two of him, but he assumed Al would get the other one.

"Al! help me!"

Al just stood there.

"What is wrong with you!" the Envy holding him said as he held down a flailing, fighting Ed.

"Nothing, there's just something wrong with you!" he said.

As he said it, he broke free from Envy's grasp. He picked up the closest thing he could use to fight- a branch.

The two Envys glanced at each other, then rushed Ed.

Ed wacked one in the back and sent him stumbling on his hands and knees behind him. the other one fought Ed using his hands, he managed to disarm Ed, but Ed was too quick and tackled him and pinned his arms and legs down so he couldn't get an advantage.

The Envy fought, moving his arms and legs and struggling to get out from under Ed.

But then, he just relaxed and stared up at him.

Those eyes.

The glassy calmness of the emotion that filled them.

Ed felt the memory of a ghost blade entering his body to pierce his heart.

A cold numbness fell over him.

Suddenly the Envy took the advantage and pushed Ed off of him.

Ed was taken back. He had lost his weapon, he was helpless.

The Envy rushed him.

Ed suddenly reacted with a defensive move he and Al had learned from Teacher.

The other Envy was flipped on his back, unmoving. Then the other Envy grabbed him from behind and held him facing a pond.

He continued to fight, trying to get out of this Envy's grasp, but then something really heavy fell over his head, and he faded into darkness.

When he awoke, he found himself layed against a tree.

He saw Al sitting on a bench with the two Envys talking.

"Al watch out!" He groaned, still groggy from his injury.

Al saw him and walked over.

"It's okay Ed, these are Eric and Johan, they live here." Al said, pointing to which twin was which.

That's when Ed felt embarrassed. He attacked two young men that were this world's Envy- and Envy's original. It was embarrassing because they didn't know him, and now he just let his previous attachments to Amesteris get ahold of him.

"I'm sorry." He said sheepishly.

"That's okay." The one that Al said was Johan said.

The other one- Eric just gave a snort and looked even more disapproving.

"I told them about where we come from, and why you attacked them... they seem okay with it." Al said.

"AL! YOU CAN'T JUST TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THAT!" Ed reared at his brother.

"WELL WHAT ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO! YOU JUST ATTACKED PEOPLE OUT OF NOWHERE!" Al returned.

Ed just shut up, he knew he wouldn't win this argument.

"So, what are you doing here?" Eric said boredly.

"We came here so that we could close a portal to our world, we can't go back, so we live here now." Al said.

"So how long have you been here?" Johan asked.

"A few weeks." Al said.

"Two years." Ed mumbled.

"How could you be here for two years and your brother a few weeks?" Eric asked.

"I went through the portal, to here and couldn't get back, i searched for two years, and then when i got back to my world, i couldn't stay for long, and my brother came with me the second time around." Ed explained.

"this must be hard for you." Johan said. Ed was starting to see that Johan was the simpithetic twin, and Eric was the sarcastic envy-like twin.

"It was." Ed said, "It's been easier since Al's been here."

"I'm happy to see my brother again." Al said, smiling at his brother.

"I would never survive if I was away from my brother for a week, let alone a two years!" Johan said.

"I would." Eric said sharply, this was followed by a glare from Johan.

"He wouldn't." Johan whispered.

there was some silence between the two sets of brothers.

"okay, now you know our story, you must never tell anyone- understand? or we will have to kill you." Ed said to them. He didn't want to be hunted down for experements or treason or something, he had to keep Al safe, so nothing like what happened seven years ago would never happen again.

"We promise." The twins said in unison.

Al pulled Ed aside.

"Do you think they could help us find the bomb?"

"Why?" Ed asked.

"They live here in town, they could be our eyes here." Al explained.

"Not too bad of an idea." Ed said, then he turned around to face the twins.

"We're looking for a bomb." he said.

"A bomb?" Eric said sharply.

"Yes, a bomb that deconstructs atoms, we accsedentally sent it here about six years ago." Al explained.

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Hunt it down and find out how to destroy it." Ed said

"sounds very dangerous." Johan asked.

"it is." Al said.

"what does that have to do with us?" Eric asked sharply.

"We want you to help us." al said

"We just need you to tell us about the Thuel society or any of their actions in this town- you see we work on a farm and don't have acsess to the town on a daily basis." Ed said.

Eric looked away and the twins were silent. Johan rubbed a pendant that hung from a long chain from his looked at each other and nodded.

"Count us in. We know the dangers of that group..." Johan said, looking away for a moment when discussing his past.

They shook hands.

After leaving their new allies behind, Ed and Al went to the phone booth.

Ed went inside and picked up the reciever and gave the operator Gracia's number.

The line rang.

"Hello?" Gracia said

"Hello Gracia, it's me Ed, did you find anything?"

"Hello Ed! Yeah, Hughs told me that after you left, the whole organization seemed to go into hiding." She said.

Ed slammed his head up against the wall of the phone booth. Hiding? the Thuel soceity was in hiding. They must have hidden all of the books on their society so no one could find them- or the bomb.

"They're in hiding?"

"For certan. He said that all known and unknown members have went missing."

"Thanks Gracia. We'll keep in contact."

"Okay, Bye Ed."

"Bye." he said.

Once he exited the phone booth, Al stood outside leaning against the phone booth with his arms crossed.

"Mustang came by, he said to be back to the truck as soon as you were done on the phone. You took a long time! we've been gone for hours and i have to feed Winry!"

The first thought that came to Ed's mind was Al serving their Winry dinner... but then he remembered that Al had named his cat Winry.

"Can you just call her your cat!"

"No! She has a name and i will call her accordingly!" Al said.

Ed said nothing, he was too busy fuming about the cat to respond.

On the way back to the farm Ed stared at the landscape. He thought of the new problem they had yet to face: The Thuel society has gone underground, and probably taken the bomb with them.

* * *

Next Time: A Blow Straight To The Hart: RIZA! his cry as she fell, the fury and the pain all bound up in the name. What is to befall him now? And after this how will the Drachmans plans change? How will they use their new advantage? What of Winry? How is she now? What will her strange new assignment be? What the heck is Russle doing in Central? And is he STILL portending to be Ed?

TO RECAPE:"WE ARE GOING ON STRIKE! We demand 3 new comments from not me or my sister- so you better comment or else we won't post."-Artemiskey So thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed and please send us some comments.


	8. Chapter 8 A Blow Straight To The Heart

Fearel: Today is Artemiskey's birthday! so as a present to all of you we have decided not to hold you to our demands! We will count our two new favorites as our third review, but be warned we expect to continue to receive reviews or we will do this again and next time there will be no birthday to make us merciful... on that happy note please read and enjoy;) no really your support means a lot and I really hope you enjoy!

Note from Artemis:

Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews! Keep reviewing or we'll have to do that again! On a completely other topic- later in my story I mention a blonde boy, you'll find out who he is soon enough, and for your background information, he's been studying to take the state alchemy exam again. (He failed the first time- that's when Aurora had passed) So when Winry says he looks familiar it's because he's been living in central city, and has been hanging around the military base and the capitol buildings a lot, so she sees him occasionally.

Also I want to thank you all for reading, favoriting, following and especially commenting! You guys are awesome!

No, really your support means alot to us and we hope you continue reading.

Thank you all so much.

- Artemis.

Disclaimer: We do not own FMA cause if we did Roy and Riza would totally be together!

This chapter

Roy Mustang-Fearel

Winry Rockbell-Artemiskey

Sheska (I don't no her last name)-Artemiskey

The Drachmans-Fearel

* * *

Chapter 8 A Blow Straight To The Heart

The Gateway.  
The ultimate medium of equivalent exchange.  
Those who pass through it may find themselve  
in an alternate world to their own.  
But in those days really believed  
that the risks involved were just too high

"RIZA!" His cry as she fell, the pain and the anger bound up in her name. A moment before he hadn't even been able to stand but now somehow he was on his feet and running. He no longer felt the agony in his right arm or the pain in his leg or the red blood flowing down his skin. He simply ran. Then he was beside her, lying so still on the icy ground. He fell to his knees just staring, a horrible thought creeping into his mind. She looked so still, so cold.

All at once it wasn't Riza he was looking at, it was a phone booth. A phone booth with blood spattered on the ground all around it. Then once again he was looking down at Riza lying there so still with a line of blood running down the side of her face, the streak of red against the whiteness of her skin.

_No_ it was the one thought that echoed in his mind as he leaned forward and grabbed her in his arms. Trembling fingers sought tentatively for the pulse of her neck. She had to be alive she just had to. For a long terrible moment he felt nothing, nothing at all, but then under his fingers he felt it, the soft rhythmic beating of her heart.

He pulled her into more of a sitting possession against him, shaking her shoulder lightly, trying to reassure himself that had not just been his imagination. As he looked down at her he noticed for the first time that she was clutching something. Not her gun 4 that had flown out of her hand when she was hit, no this was something soft. Gingerly he reached out the hand that was not wrapped around her shoulders and began to gently pry open her fingers. _It must be something important to her for her to be holding onto it this tightly._ When he managed to pry open her fingers he stared blankly at what she held.

His gloves, the extras that he always kept in his desk. Only then did he think to wonder what she had been doing there. Then slowly he began to understand. _She came for me, she realized that I was in danger and she came to protect me. She came to bring me my gloves, and she nearly died doing it. When she was hit it was my gloves she held onto not her gun, why would she do such a thing, why? _"Why Riza?" The words left his mouth in a sort of broken whisper.

It was then that he heard the splashing of water and looked up. The Drachman alchemist was coming toward them out of the lake_. But he should be died or at least too injured to move, I saw Hawkeye shoots him twice. _Then the Generals eyes widened as he took in the man's appearance. The Drachman alchemist did indeed look as though he was rather worse for wear but his wounds were not bleeding. An icy sheen covered them and Mustang realized that water had been frozen over each of them. The ice must have been cold enough to numb the pain entirely and applied fast enough to stop all but a little blood loss.

Suddenly anger burned inside of him, as fierce and as hot as the flames he commanded. This was the man who had hurt her. This was the man who had left her lying as though dead upon the ground. And this man, this man, was just going to get up and walk away feeling no pain for what he had done. Mustang could not allow it. It didn't matter now that the alchemist had been aiming for him, or that the man hadn't meant to hit her, all that mattered was that he had hurt her and he would pay.

Mustang lay her gently back on the ground, taking the gloves from her hand as he did so. He stood, smoothly sliding them onto hands that were for once covered in his own blood instead of someone else's. He turned to face the enemy alchemist. When the man saw Mustang rides he took a hasty couple of steps backward to stand ankle deep in water.

The blue-green light of a transmutation flickered along the water and icicles sharp as daggers once again flew through the air toward Mustang. He snapped his fingers and flame exploded into existence, turning the ice to vapor on the spot. Again the Drachman Alchemist tried and again the ice was evaporated in angry flame. Fear began to spread itself the across the man's face as he stepped back deeper into the water. He tried to use the water to create a wall of ice to protect himself from the ravaging flames but again it was reduced to nothing more then a few drops of boiling water falling back into the pond. The man turned and began running blindly deeper into the pond, the ice on his arm and leg beginning to melt in such heat, and the pain returning. Yet it was already too late for once more the Flame Alchemist of Amestris snapped his fingers and the Drachman Alchemist died as every part of him not covered by water was incinerated in ravening flames.

The Flame Alchemist turned away from the water, his one thought now to return to her. He could feel the pain of his wounds returning, feel his leg giving out beneath him, and see the black spots dance in front of his eyes as the world began to go dim. Somewhere in the distance he could hear shouts and voices calling his name, but none of that mattered as he struggled back up the bank and fell to his knees in the Icy grass beside her. He got one more look at her face, at the pale skin highlighted by that single line of red, before he fell in blackness.

* * *

Winry stood at a workbench creating a right leg for a young soldier who had lost his in a Drachman raid.

There were other automail engineers creating other limbs, and a few getting the limbs onto the individuals for whom they were to replace the ones that had bin lost.

The screams echoed through the thin walls that separated the large shop from the small operating rooms in the back.

She wasn't the boss, but she enjoyed her work. She was doing something she was good at and it kept her mind off _them. _

It had been about three weeks, but it seemed longer, like at least a month.

Winry had already made so much automail for the soldiers that were maimed in the Drachman raids and the border disputes with Creta.

She had made some friends; Theo and Kira. Kira was the only other young female automail engineer, there were other women, but many of them were middle aged. Kira had bright red hair, and her eyes were as green as the hills of Winry's hometown. She had a good temper, and rarely ever got mad and danced around on her toes when she needed to move swiftly. Theo was also friendly; he was tall and muscular from working with the metal. He had brown hair and dark eyes that often would flash with interest when they were presented with a mechanical object. He had a crush on Kira, but it seemed as if everyone except Kira knew about it.

Major Blitzen would sit with her when they had meals together, and Winry had come to the conclusion that she was a kind person.

Winry liked her new friends, but she also missed her old ones. She rarely saw Rose, and Sheska was too busy with senate affairs to really talk with or hang out.

Winry missed her grandmother and began to think on what she'd write to her.

The leg had the basic framework done when the bell rang for lunch.

Winry sat with Theo and Kira.

"We've been a lot busier than usual!" Kira sighed as she sat down and wiped her brow.

" With so many getting injured in the raids and the border disputes, we're in more need than ever." Theo replied.

"I guess so, I mean who else will make those soldiers good as new?" Kira said perkily with a smile.

"Yeah." Winry said.

"I'm almost done with my arm, soon the soldier needs to come in to get it hooked up." Kira said, Theo was usually quiet and Winry never really felt like talking, so it was Kira who did most of the talking.

"Have you ever attached limbs before Kira?" Winry said flatly.

"No, I was good at building, but my parents never let me attach the limbs myself." She said.

"Theo?" Winry asked.

"Once or twice." He said.

"I've done it multiple times... it's not something to look forward to." Winry said.

Before anyone else could say anything, Major Blitzen entered the cafeteria.

"Hey Guys!" she said, throwing an arm around Theo's shoulder.

"Hey Aurora!" Kira said.

Although the military demanded respect, Major Blitzen preferred to be called Aurora by her friends.

"So, working hard or hardly working?" she said.

"We've been working all day!" Winry said to her exasperated.

"We all have." Theo said.

"That I can respect. At least you guys are moving around! I'm stuck at a desk for hours doing stupid paperwork! I mean really! PAPERWORK!" she said before sitting down next to Winry.

"An office must be nice..." Kira said.

"Not at all! It's not private and I barely get outside. But it does have air conditioning and central heating..." Aurora said

Suddenly, the bell rung and the three automail engineers made their way back to the workshop.

* * *

It had been a few hours since lunch and Winry had gotten more of the leg done. She peered out the window for a moment to see a young blonde man briskly move away from the window. Then she looked back down and continued to work on the leg. She focused on her work. She used the basic blueprints for the automail of the Amestrian army, and she added some minor improvements.

The small bell over the door rang as someone stepped through it.

Winry didn't look up; it was just another soldier in for an appointment.

So she thought...

A shadow was cast over Winry's light and she looked up to a tall blonde young man leaning against the wall closest to her bench.

She quickly searched him over. He had all of his limbs, and none of them sounded like automail.

"Hey." he said.

Winry just looked at him with a slightly confused- slightly angry expression.

'"Can I help you?" She said.

"No." He said.

"Then why are you here?"

"No reason." he said.

Winry wanted to tell him to leave then, but she swore she recognized him...

She quickly checked his face to think of where she had seen him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the Fullmetal alchemist Edward Elric." He said proudly.

Winry became furious in a matter of seconds. This was not Ed.

She grabbed the nearest thing she could, that just so happened to be the automail leg she was working on.

She lifted it up and slammed it against his shoulder, then began beating around his torso with it.

"YOU! ARE NOT! THE FULLMETAL! ALCHEMIST!" she screamed between hitting the impersonator with the leg, which made a banging noise when it made contact.

"Winry! What are you doing! You can't just attack a state alchemist!" Kira screamed as she ran over to her friend.

"I'VE KNOWN ED! SINCE WE WERE CHILDREN! YOU! AREN'T! HIM!" She screamed while continuing to hit him mercilessly with the leg.

In the seconds that followed, the leg was wrenched from her fingers by kira, and she had bin restrained by Theo.

A younger blonde boy who seamed to be about fifteen stood in the doorway.

The boy let out a breath of exasperation, "give it up Russell. You can't keep using Ed's name. Especially since he's been dead for a few weeks now."

Winry began to tear, then she pulled herself from Theo's grasp and ran off to one of the back operating rooms that was empty and cried.

While Winry was in the back, Shesca walked in.

"Hey everyone!" She said "What's happened here?"

She surveyed the scene and what she saw was a badly bruised young man sitting on the floor looking defeated, a boy standing near the doorway staring down at the young man, two very confused automail engineers and bits and pieces of metal all over the floor.

"Winry- she just beat up the Fullmetal alchemist!" Kira said.

Shesca eyed the bruised boy on the ground.

"This isn't Ed."

"What?" Kira said.

"This isn't him."

"Well that's no reason to beat him up!" Kira said

Shesca moved a chair over and sat down.

"You don't understand- she's still grieving." Shesca said.

"Why?" Theo asked.

"Winry knew Edward and Alphonse Elric, they were friends since they were kids. They were all really close. After their mother died it was Winry's grandmother who took care of them. Winry knew them better than anyone else, and she cared for them like they were her own family- she even made Ed's automail. She misses them more than anything."

The four stared at the senator.

"I had no idea!" Kira said.

"She never mentioned anything." Theo said.

Russell was too busy looking upset that he blew it with a hot girl because he was stupid enough not to remember that Edward Elric was dead...

They all looked at Shesca.

"So, there are some words that should never be said around Winry." she said "they are: Ed or Edward, Al or Alphonse, their last name Elric, short, philosopher's stone, human transmution, State alchemist and anything about either of them being dead."

Right as Shesca was saying those words, her audience's eyes grew large.

Shesca turned around to see Winry, who had just reentered the room, beginning to cry again.

Winry's lip quivered and she inhaled sharply.

Shesca walked over and wrapped Winry in a hug.

"I'm so sorry Winry! I never knew!" Kira said, also hugging her friend.

Suddenly an officer walked in.

"Winry Rockbell?" he said

Her friends released her.

"Yes?" Winry said wiping a tear off her cheek.

"You've been summoned to Central headquarters by General Mustang's office." he said

"I have?"

"Yes. I'm supposed to escort you back," he said.

"Um-okay, let me just get cleaned up a bit." Winry said while staring down at her jumpsuit, which was covered in grease, mettle shavings and Russell's blood.

"Okay, but be quick about it."

Winry hung up the jumpsuit and changed into her mechanic's official uniform.

She walked back out to the shop area where the officer was waiting for her.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready." she said.

As they began to walk out of the shop, Shesca ran after them.

"WINRY!" she screamed.

Winry turned around.

Shesca stopped and steadied herself by putting her hands on her knees and bending over, she was panting.

"I'm coming with you." She stated, showing that this was non-negotiable.

Winry nodded and Shesca walked with them.

"Can I help you?" the guard posed in front of the large doors asked.

"I've been summoned by General Mustang." Winry said.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Winry Rockbell."

He looked down at a list.

"You don't have an appointment."

"I was just called."

"That as it may be, you have to have an appointment," he said.

"You need to let us in." Shesca said.

"I'm sorry Senator Shesca, but I can't just let everyone in, the General has been very busy with the war with Drachma." he said

"Can you at least call in to confirm that I was summoned?" Winry asked.

The guard picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Officer Penn, there's a Winry Rockbell here, saying that she's been summoned."

The guard was silent.

"Yes sir. Uh-huh. Yeah... Alright I'll send them in." He then proceeded to hang up the phone.

"You're clear." he said, then opened the door.

Winry and Shesca entered the office.

It was somewhat neat, there were some paper airplanes on the floor, and each desk was stacked with paperwork- especially that of the General.

Lieutenants Fallman, Breta, and Fury as well as the newly appointed caption Havoc sat at their desks, but Hawkeye's desk was empty and so was the General's.

Winry looked around confused while Shesca bent down and retrieved a paper airplane from the floor. She opened it then made a surprised face, before re-concealing her emotions.

Fury stood up and walked over to her and Shesca.

"You must excuse the Brigadier General and the Lieutenant General, they're a bit hung up at the moment..." he trailed off.

"What happened?" Shesca asked.

Fury blushed then stuttered "T-they were attacked earlier today, they're in the hospital recovering."

"What?!" Shesca exclaimed.

"A Drachman alchemist attacked them while he was undercover as a state alchemist." Fury said then he proceeded to clean his glasses, then after he put them back on and was adjusting them he continued, "Which brings us to our next matter of business."

Winry shifted her weight to her left leg and crossed her arms.

"The General does not want this to happen again, so he has issued a safety proclamation that every state alchemist must have their tittle engraved on their pocket watches, so that no one can impersonate them, and he asked for you specifically Winry."

"He did?"

"Yes. So here is the list of each state alchemist. It has their name, their title and their photographs, and they are the only ones to pick up or drop off the pocket watch."

Winry was handed three manila envelopes that were filled with lists of each Alchemist, in service and retired."

"Thank you sir, I'll get these done right away." Winry said.

She turned on her heel and she and Shesca began to walk out.

Shesca turned as they were walking and said "Bye Fury!"

Winry saw the Lieutenant blush and quickly scamper to his desk.

It was late at night and Winry was the last in the mechanic's shop.

She had engraved many pocket watches in the last few hours. She was tired.

This was going to be her last one of the night.

She picked up the pocketwatch and engraved it along the upper right hand side of the lid of the pocket watch, following the natural curve of the circle as she had done with the ones before it.

Finally it was done. The newly carved scrolling letters caught the light off of the small lamp she was working by. It was by far the best that she had done that day.

She looked down at the new engraving and smiled fondly.

It read _Fullmetal_

* * *

Far above the mountain peaks where only the hawk and eagle dared to fly soared a lone bird. His bright beady eyes glanced down at the scene below. The crisp clear air of the mountain spring lent a sharpness to the hawks already clear hunters eye. He could see below him the tents of the mighty encampment and slightly above them one tent in particular. Outside this large tent of navy blue stood six men. The hawk noticed these men in particular for one of them had raised its arm and was pointing directly at the hawk.

They spoke in a tongue foreign to the hawk for was not a speech often heard in that land. Yet if he had understood them this is what he would have heard. "The Hawks Eye, that's what he said they call her, just like that one up there, you can see it watching us even from so far away. When I spoke to him this afternoon he said that it was she who had sabotaged both of our assassination plans."

The speaker turned back to face his superior. The man's superior pounded his fist in the palm of his other hand, the ostrich feather on his hat bopping as he did so. "So this, this mere woman, this Hawks Eye as you call her, she is the reason that one of my most powerful alchemists is dead! He may have been the weakest of the five but he was still powerful and he was still an important part of my plan. The state alchemists are the strength of Amestris and it is only my five powerful Northern Alchemists that can grant us victory. Now, now however two of my assassins are dead, as well as one of my precious alchemists and still the Flame Alchemist is not dead."

He had been addressing all five of the other men impartially but now he turned to direct his attention solely at the soldier that had first spoken. "Now as it was you who spoke to my spy over the phone, you must tell me if there was any other information either about the Flame General or this Hawks Eye of his that he wished you to relay."

"Her name is Lieutenant General Riza Hawkeye, she is Mustang's bodyguard. He believes that she has served Mustang for at least ten years. After he vanished she climbed the ranks from First Lieutenant to Lieutenant General in just two years. During that time she was the one in charge of the defense of Central City. She is also said to be the best sniper in all of Amestris. She protected Mustang by jumping in front of a nearly fatal blow meant for him, and it was only after she fell that Mustang's anger gave him the strength to defeat our alchemist. It seems that when she was hit he referred to her by her first name."

The General of the Drachman Army nodded thoughtfully. "Well well, it seems this news is not all bad. I believe that I finally have the plan that will bring Amestris to its knees. Even the legendary flame alchemist has his weaknesses and this will help to destroy another threat as well. We are switching targets. From now on our target is no longer the Flame General but instead, Lieutenant General Riza Hawkeye

* * *

Next Time: To Fight A Friend: Anger and confusion rain on both sides of the gate. Riza and Roy call into question the vary essences of their relationship... And NOT in a good way! Meanwhile Ed and Al have always bin there for each other but when Ed refuses point blank to even listen to Al, Al must seek a new confidant.

You are under my control. You will follow my commands. You will scroll down and hit review!


	9. Chapter 9 To Fight A Friend

Fearel: IM SORRY!I wrote two thirds of this chapter 3 weeks ago and Artemiskey finished her chapter at least 2 weeks ago but with one thing and another I just didn't finish it. My excuse was going to be that Artemis was temporarily out the country and I was temporarily out of ideas but ever since Artemis got back from Ireland I've just been suffering from a bad case of writer's block. It is for this reason as well as or need to work on our original novel that has prompted Artemis and I to announce that we might be going on hiatus. The reason I say might is that we made this decision nearly a month ago and have been a sort of hiatus since then. So the question is on my creative juices flowing again or will the hiatus continue? I really can't say but what I can say is that I've really happy with the number of reviews we have received. Frankly you guys really define the word irony. When we demanded 3 reviews we had to be satisfied with 2 if we wanted to post our latest chapter. on the next chapter however we got 5 reviews within the 1st 24 hours ;) Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed! As well as to everyone who favored followed or even read this story! I'm going to try something new and answer each review here instead of by private message.

Firefly264 thanks for the heads up (; I went back and changed immediately.

gpianist Riza and Ed are my favorite characters to, though I also really like Mustang, Al (it's impossible to hate Al) and pretty much everyone else from FMA;)= That's not to say that some of the characters won't get killed off in future because well this wouldn't be Fullmetal Alchemist without some tragedy.

Zipperz Kester Artemiskey says thank you!

awesomenaruto there are are still several chapters to go before that happens but fear not Ed and Al will return the question is just what will they have to pay to do so...

BabyBlueBeluga hahaha very good now do so again;) and yes Riza is most definitely in danger

S J Smith description you say well we will definitely keep that in mind and try me to add more into later chapters

sarcasticsmiles ( love the username by the way) the ostrich man isn't in this chapter but to be sure that does not mean he is idle, just wait till you see what he has in store. That will happen right after I see because he still hasn't given me any details;) also love the nickname Artemis says that Ed will probably use it later on.

Now on with the show... right after Artemisekys note that is

From the keyboard of Artemis Key:

Dearest and most brilliant readers,

Happy Easter and Passover to all who celebrate!

I hope you enjoy the following chapter. I am sorry to announce that Fearel and I will be going on a hiatus to work on our school work and our own original stories.

So I would also like to say in a bit from that- this story is far from done, so keep your eyes open for when we post again!

please keep reading!

Oh and another thing that I personally want to ask: What so far has been your favorite part of the story?! (May include this chapter!)

-Artemis

Disclaimer: we own nothing… Except for the FMA video game I gave Artemis for her birthday;)

Opening–Fearel

Riza Hawkeye-Fearel

Alphonse Elrc-Artemiskey

* * *

Chapter 9 To Fight A Friend

The Gateway.  
The ultimate medium of equivalent exchange.  
Those who pass through it may find themselve  
in an alternate world to their own.  
But in those days really believed  
that the risks involved were just too high

There was an odd throbbing buzz in her head and a sharp pain in one temple. There had been a sort of blackness over her eyes, but now that was lifting and once aware she began to wonder. Where was she? What has happened to her? What about the General, was he safe? Riza shook her head attempting to bring her thoughts into clearer focus but all she managed to do was exacerbate the throbbing in her head.

Thinking her way out of the situation was therefore impossible and having no other way to gather information about her surroundings Riza slowly opened her eyes. Her vision blurred and lights danced before her eyes. She tried to focus her attention on one point to minimize the dizzy sensation and her eyes came to rest on a black orb that seemed to be located directly above her as if looking back at her. As her vision began to clear Riza realized that it was indeed looking back at her and that it was not an orbs at all but an eye. An intelligent eye black as midnight, a lovely mocking eye but etched with some sobering emotion, worry maybe or fear. It was not focused on Riza but instead seemed to see something vary far away. Whatever the emotion it comforted Riza in her befuddled state. It seemed so familiar as did the face around it, which was slowly becoming clearer with each passing second. Yes, she knew this face, the slightly tanned skin, the mouth permanently set in a cynical curve, the hair as black as raven's wings and always messy, and those eyes, one of them a dark pool of shadow, the other consealed behind an eye patch, witch covered part of the face that was so familiar so achingly famil- "General!"

All at once everything snapped into focus, the white walls, the metal bedstead, and the General. At her exclamation his eye, which had been so far away, refocus entirely on her face. "Ri-Hawkeye your awake! How do you feel? Are you okay?" Riza didn't answer immediately. Instead she let her eyes drift from his face first to the bloody bandage that covered his entire right arm then to its counterpart on his left wrist and hand finally to more bandage peeping out from beneath one of his pant legs.

"Sir, what are you doing out of bed!" He blinked at her in surprise "well… I just… wanted to make sure that you were all right." "With injuries like yours you should be in bed resting, not worrying about me! It's your health that's important not mine remember!" Mustang stared at her in confusion "what are you talking about? Of course your health matters!" Riza made as though to shake her head but was stopped by nauseating waves of pain. "Sir, with all due respect, no it doesn't! It's your health that's important, not that anyone could have guessed as much the way you've been acting lately!"

Riza had no idea where her rage was coming from but it seemed to have been building up inside her since the 1st attempt on his life. His peremptory order for her to stay behind during that fateful luncheon had only added fuel to the fire and then when she had realized that he had walked into a trap… Well she'd been too busy trying to reach every time to worry about anything else but when she had seen him sitting there, bandaged and bloody without a care for his own injuries, all that rage had boiled up inside her. Riza would never normally have even considered speaking to her superior like that, but with her head throbbing the way it was and a still woozy feeling muddling her wits, and that unreasoning anger coursing through her she had lost control.

"Hawkeye, what on earth has gotten into you? What do you mean the way I've been acting? What makes you think I'm any less capable of defending myself then I have been in the past?" Mustang snapped back his look rearranging itself from one of concern to one of anger. Once again Riza tried to shake her head, this time however she was able to move her head enough to do so. "On the contrary Sir you've been taking bigger and bigger risks! Every time I turn around you've gone off somewhere on your own and have ended up in serious danger! It's been like that ever since you came back!"

_Ever since he came back. _That was it Riza realized, that was where her anger was coming from. It was not new anger this was old anger, anger that had been simmering inside of her ever since he left three years before. He had given up, after all that fighting and scheming he had just given up and left to sulk and feels sorry for himself. He had abandoned his dream, their dream. After everything they had been through he left everything behind. He had left her.

It was the General's angry voice that brought her back to the presence. "And why shouldn't I?" He yelled glaring down at her. Riza didn't like that he was standing over her, it made her feel at a disadvantage. She tried to struggle to a sitting position only to feel his hand on her shoulder trying to push her back down. She shrugged his hand off and glared up at him. "I need to get up and you need to lie down before you make those injuries any worse." "There you go again trying to take responsibility for me! Just lie down and get some rest! I'll take whatever risks I need to take so stop trying to babysit me, that's not your job!" "Actually as your bodyguard that is precisely my job!" "Then maybe you should get a different job!"

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. She glared at him for a minute incredulity and outrage mingling in her eyes. She lay back down and rolled onto the side facing away from him throwing her response back at him as she did so venom dripping from every syllable. "Fine, then I will!"

* * *

Al sat in his room by himself playing with his kitten Winry.

He thought to himself on that he was going to get home... but how? He needed to confide in someone- but who?

He couldn't ask Mustang or Hawkeye- they were far too busy with the farm.

Envy? They lived in town, so they were out of the question- besides Envy wasn't really a great advice giver...

Ed? no. It wouldn't work... Ed would shoot the idea down, and wouldn't help Al a smidge.

Noah. Noah was nice, maybe she could give some good advice and even help him!

Al flipped the string in the air and Winry (the kitten) flipped after it.

Al laughted.

He made his way outside to begin the day's work.

He and Ed plowed the field with Mustang, although each of them knew their harvest wasn't going to be quite as good and definatly not profitable.

Ed explained it to Al one night. Germany had fought in a war to back their allies- Austria-Hungary, but after they lost, Germany had to take all of the blame and now had to pay 33 million american dollars (which were much more than francs) and now Germany was in hyperinflation- and no one could buy food. The people were so poor most of them burned money in their fireplaces instead of wood!

They were the lucky ones, being able to live on Mustang's farm- which was self-sufficent- for the most part...

The bread Noah bought the other night was a rare luxury... they had traded it for three cartons of eggs! Just for a loaf of bread!

Al refocused himself to the task at hand.

He thought to himself about how much they fed the animals... the two horses got hay, the cows ate the grass in the pastures along with the small flock of sheep, the chickens got some seed and the pigs got the table scraps... if there were any...

Suddenly Noah showed up by the fence.

"Ed! Al! Roy! Lunch!" She yelled so they could hear her.

Al still couldn't get used to Mustang going by his first name...

but hey- he was different... sort of...

As they all walked back up to the farmhouse Al beconed to Noah and she soon fell in step beside him.

"Yes?" She said.

"I need some advice." He said to her.

"On what?" She said.

Al looked up at his brother to make sure that he was out of earshot.

"I'm planning a way to go home- but I don't know what to do to get the information I need..." Al said.

"Why don't you ask your brother?" She said.

"I can't. He would stop the idea, he's convinced that we can never go home." Al said.

"You give your brother too little credit."

"But he's really stubborn. He won't budge after he's made up his mind- unless he was really wrong about his original idea." Al said, thinking of the times in their past. Trying to bring their mother back, serching for the pholosepher's stone... he never listened, he thought they'd be the ones to succsesfully complete a human transumutation- and then the philospher's stone.. . once they had found out its dark secret he shut down the operation- yet they still got it... afterward- after the price was paid.

"Just try Al... he's your brother. I read his memories before you were here, and he missed you alot."

"Okay, I'll ask." Al said. There was just something about Noah that made him want to trust her.

After they had eaten, they got back to work.

Al began trying to think of what he'd say to his brother.

How would he say it so Ed would listen?

Al was homesick and wanted to go home and he needed his brother's help?

No, Ed would just tell him that he'd get used to it.

His brother could be very insensitive to others.

Al was getting a headache just thinking about his brother's reaction- so he turned back to the work he had been doing half-heartedly a moment before.

The sun sank in the sky and then they all went back to the house for dinner.

Al went and washed up- his hands were caked with dirt, they hadn't been able to find him a pair of gloves that fit yet, so they resolved to trade for some when they went to the town again.

He scrubbed beneath his fingernails and used about a whole expensive bar of soap.

Then he cleaned his face, which had been covered in dirt and sweat.

He looked at himself in the slightly- cracked in one corner mirror. He realized his skin had tanned from the sun, despite the clouds in the sky.

Al realized how course his hands had become. All the farm work made his hands rough.

He thought to himself how he would have never imagined himself a farmer, although it would have been very possible had he and Ed had never picked up an alchemy book.

Al left the small bathroom and went to the table where a meager soup was being laid out on the table.

Mustang and Ed already sat at the table while Noah was placing the dishes Hawkeye was handing her at the table.

Al sat next to his brother.

Ed had changed his gloves from his work ones to some ones he had found in a trunk that were a faded white that he often wore to dinner.

If Ed didn't have any gloves, his hands would hide in his pockets- the people here didn't have automail, and Ed had to hide it to keep up their facade of being from this world.

"Okay everyone eat up!" Noah said cheerfully. She had been happier since they've been here on the farm then when they were traveling on the road.

After dinner was eaten and the farm closed down for night- everyone retired to their rooms to sleep.

Al sat on his bed waiting to ask his brother about how he had gotten home- back to Amesteres before.

How would he frase it? he didn't want Ed to think that he was unhappy here, but Al wanted to go home back to everything he knew.

Ed entered the room.

He yawned before saying "Man am I beat! This farm work just wears me out!"

he drifted to his bed.

"Yeah i'm tired too." Al said.

there was a silence.

"Hey Ed..."

"Yeah?" his brother answered.

"I want to know how you opened the gateway."

"Why would you want to know that?"

"I want to try and get us home." Al explained.

Ed grew silent.

"Al that's not possible. We can't go home." Ed said.

"We can. I know we can- I just need to know how you opened the gateway!" Al pleaded.

"No. We aren't going back Al! Would you want to put everyone in danger? or better- get everyone we ever knew and loved killed! We could lose more than what we already have lost to the gateway just trying to get back Al! WE ARE NOT GOING BACK- EVER!" Ed said in a huff.

Al was silent.

It was impossible for them to go back- he could accsedentally kill everyone on the other side... so that's why Ed didn't want to even try to return...

But Al wasn't about to give up just yet.

He was going to find them a way home.

* * *

Next Time: Aliens And Old Friends: FANGIRL TOUCHER Ed does some digging into where members of the Thule society are hiding but what he finds... well let's just say that if he thought that running into envy was the worst trouble of familiar faced was going to give him he's about to be approved DEAD wrong! Meanwhile with the Drachmans out to get Riza and her relationship with the General rapidly falling apart the only one who can hold things together is...Sheska? Oh boy bring on the duct tape because at this rate that's the only thing that can hold Amestris together.

So does anyone have a guess as to Ed is going to run into? Also at the beginning of Artemis asked about favorite chapters. As for when we will post the next chapter well I really can't say expect it when you see it ;)


	10. Chapter 10 Aliens And Old Friends

**WARNING: CONTAINS FANGIRL TORTURE **

From the Keyboard of Artemis Key:

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

I hope this successfully builds up the plot.

I am sorry for a bit of what I've written, it killed me to write it.

(Also I didn't kill anyone! (yet) so with that knowledge, read the chapter!)

This Chapter:

Intro-Fearel

Sheska-Fearel

Edward Elric-Artemiskey

Disclaimer-We do not own FMA... But we do own the torture(;

* * *

**Chapter 10 Aliens And Old Friends**

The Gateway.

The ultimate medium of equivalent exchange.

Those who pass through it

May find themselves

in an alternate world to their own.

But in those days really believed that

the risks involved were just too high.

Sheska flopped back into the comfort of her desk chair. Why did she keep having weeks like this? Weeks so busy and so exhausting she barely had any time to read. In fact she had only been getting through a book every other day since the whole catastrophe started. It was an all-time low and she wished she could do something about it but first the invasion then the other invasion then the counterattack and two assassination attempts had kept her so busy that she hadn't even managed to visit Gracla and Alecia in nearly a month.

It was appalling absolutely appalling, after all when she decided to join the Senate she hadn't actually expected to have to work. Well, maybe she' d expected to do a bit of work but nothing strenuous and up to just under a month ago being a member of Senate had pretty much lived up to her expectations. Yeah all right there were bills to be passed in long boring hours of listening to people argue and the usual amount of speed reading and recitation of all the files that had formerly been in the 1st branch library even though she replace them all long since. Then about four weeks ago the aliens had shown up in Leor and ever since she had been so busy she could barely tell up from down any more.

A tab on her office door interrupted her thoughts. She sat up and attempted to look a little bit more dignified as the glass paneled door opened and the secretary from the research and reference room came in. "Excuse me ma'am the state alchemist recall forms have arrived." Sheska nodded and made a vague waving gesture that could have been beckoning the secretary to set the forms down on the desk or could have been shooing her out of the room. The secretary chose to take it as the former and after putting the forms down and walking halfway toward the door she looked back over her shoulder and added "Oh and ma'am Lieutenant General Hawkeye says she wants those forms in tomorrow's 6 AM mailing so you're to have them finished and taken over to the emergency Postal Service at least an hour beforehand." Shaeka groaned, _great more paper work! _As the door swung closed behind the secretary she made a mental note to vote in favor of Mustangs anti-paperwork bill whenever he next had a chance to bring it up before The Senate.

Then grudgingly she set to work filling out the forms. Each form have to be filled out with the state alchemist name, their title, the name of the officer or officers to whom they answered, their current position rank and duties, the name rank and current position of the person or persons if any who were going to be filling in for those duties while they were gone, the name rank position and relationship to the alchemist of the commanding officer or officers who were to be presented with the document and or informed of the leave as well as the previously stated information about the person or persons if any that were going to be filling in for the state alchemist during said absence and the probable return date if any of said alchemist, and they all had to be completed with the same message. "Due to the recent attacks by Drachman alchemists upon high-ranking military officials and the impersonation of state alchemists by said Drachman alchemist the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces General Roy Mustang is ordering all state alchemists to return to Central command immediately. There you are to proceed to engineering headquarters where you will be ID checked and then you will be required to hand over your state alchemist's pocket watch for engraving with your alchemist's name."

Finally she had to sign each document with her name and the title_ head of records and documentation and member of the governing Senate and of Amestris_.

It was the sort of job that was normally assigned to a hole departments worth of secretaries and librarians but Mustang had decided to make it a rush job, Hawkeye had asserted that to get the research done that fast they would need to bring in secretaries from other departments who they could not trust, and that's when they had remembered Sheska. Now she was stuck doing all of it all by herself.

Yes, all right, she only had to fill them out for state alchemists not in Central, for those in Central had already bin order to submit their pocket watches, and yes she knew all the information but that didn't mean she could regurgitate it all in one long, and apparently sleepless, night. Not to mention after she'd finished all that she still had to make up a list of all State Alchemists who were active or had been active in the past five years alone with their current status.

It was to be copied and given to every guard and ranking officers throughout Amestris to keep the Drachman's from foiling their new security measures by simply engraving falls alchemists names, or the names of retired, fired, or dead state alchemists, hence the five-year margin, onto stolen or duplicated pocket watches. Once again it was Sheska and her memory that had been volunteered for this task. _Come to think of it, it might actually make more sense to write the list up first so as to get my thoughts in order before proceeding to the forms._ She decided to do that instead especially since it would allow her to put off the moment when she would have to delve into that pile of mind-numbing forms.

She pushed the whole stack to the back of her desk and began rummaging around for a clean piece of paper. After a few minutes she found a couple half crumpled sheets that she had crammed as a bookmark into a copy of _Deglinda Eckhart's guide to Alien Spotting._ She pulled them out and, after casting a longing glance at the now open book, stuffed one of the state alchemist forms into the book as a replacement bookmark.

Nowhere in her instructions had Sheska been told to alphabetize the list so she drew one of the clean, if crumpled, pieces of paper towards herself, picked up a pen began writing down in no particular order the names tittles and statuses of whichever alchemists came to her mind.

_The Crimson Alchemist Dead (Killed by Scar in Leor in 1918)_

_Lieutenant Colonel Solf J. Kimbly Pocket-watch destroyed in Leor incident_

_The Iron Blood Alchemist Dead (Killed by Scar in village near Central_

_Brigadier General Basqua Grand in 1917) Pocket-watch barred with him_

_The Sowing Life Alchemist_

_Major Shou Tucker_

Here she paused for a minute considering what to write. In the official version of things Tucker had been executed in 1914 for illegal experiments in human alchemy. Sheska was however one of the few who new that he had not in fact been killed but instead have been set to creating Cameras for the military in the supposedly abandoned lab five. Then again as he had later been reestablished as a state alchemist and put under Acting Coronel Archer's command during the whole Leor affair she supposed that a good many people had realized that he was in fact still alive. Then she remembered that almost all of the soldiers involved in the Leor debacle had been killed by the giant transmutation circle that had been set off in Leor, so she might as well just stick to the official story. On the other hand, that wasn't strictly true and if he would show up again he would be treated as a Drachman assassin and killed on site. Then again, as the experiments that had gotten him in trouble to begin with involved transmuting his own daughter into a Camera, he probably deserved being shot on sight. However, he had valuable knowledge of both the secrets of alchemy and the secrets of the Amestrian military so people ought to know he was alive and to be on the lookout for him in case he was persuaded into joining up with their enemies. Then, however, she might need to mark down the fact that he was now a Camera and, according to all Winry had told her, stark raving mad, but that sounded like putting in too much classified information. After another couple of minutes thought she decided to mark him down as:

_The Sowing Life Alchemist Fate Unknown_

_Major Shou Tucker **(mental condition unstable)**_

Then she continued with her list.

_The Crystal Alchemist Fate Unknown (Deserter from Ishbal War;_

_Major Tim Marcoh taken into Furor's protection in 1917 and _  
_ not herd from since) Presumed Dead_

_The Strong Arm Alchemist Active: Commanding Officer of Leor (recalled_

_Coronel Alex Louis Armstrong to Central for deration of Drachman War)_

_The Silver Alchemist Dead (Killed in Drachman invasion of_

_Lieutenant Colonel Knightley West City) Pocket-watch Lost, _  
_ Presumed Captured By Drachma_

_The Ironclaw alchemist Dead (Killed in Drachman invasion of_

_Major Johnson West City) Pocket-watch Lost,_

_ Presumed Captured By Drachma_

_The Sable Alchemist Active: Assigned to Western Command_

_Major Emily Jasper_

_The Lightning Alchemist Active: Assigned to Central Command_

_Major Aurora Blitzen (newest State Alchemist, conformed _  
_ two months ago position as yet unfixed)_

_The Flame Alchemist Active: Commander and Chief of All_

_General Roy Mustang Amestrean Armed Forces (for deration _  
_ of Drachman War only otherwise General_  
_ in charge of Central Command)_

_The Fullmettle Alchemist Fate Unknown (Vanished during the_

_Major Edward Elric over through of Bradley Administration _  
_ in 1918; Reappeared during the Battle of _  
_ The Alchemist's Return only to go down with _  
_ air ship; Pocket-watch vanished during Leor _  
_ conflict in 1918 but somehow reclaimed by _  
_ military) body unfound but Presumed Dead_

What else could she say? She knew of course that Ed Elric wasn't dead but she

couldn't say that. If she said that then she would have to go into the whole subject of the Gateway thing (she still wasn't entirely sure about that herself), and if she did that then she would have to bring up the Homunculi and the Philosopher's Stone, and if those topics didn't go under the titles of highly confidential and classified then she didn't know what did.

As far as she knew, excluding the Elric brothers, there were only three living people besides herself who knew what had happened two years earlier on that wild and hectic day when Fuehrer King Bradley had been killed, the Fullmetal Alchemist had vanished, and his younger brother had turned up years younger than he had been and missing that same four years worth of memories. In total, as far as Sheska knew there had only ever been eight people who understood anything of what had happened, well seven people and a homunculus. Ed and Al of course, the General, Lieutenant General Hawkeye, herself, Winry, the homunculus Wrath, and the alchemist Izumi Curtis.

No, that was wrong she realized, there had been one other person. Even if he wasn't alive at the time of the Fuehrer's death, Brigadier General Hughes must also have known.

Nine people had known and now at least one third of that number was dead. As that fact sunk in a quote from a book she had read a few months previously came swimming to the forefront of her mind. "Three can keep a secret when two are the grave." The quote was from the book _The Mists of Avalon_ and even though there were as yet more people living then dead who new the secret it still seems somehow to fit.

The whole idea chilled her so she cast around for something else to think about. She landed instead on to the book itself, _The Mists of Avalon_… She began to sink into a reminiscence of the book's finest moments when, with a _thwack,_ her head, which had been nodding farther and farther forward with each passing minute, slammed nose first into the desk.

Sheska sat up blinking rapidly, rubbing her nose with one hand and fixing her glasses with the other. It was then that she caught sight of the huge stack of paperwork she still hadn't even started. She knew of course why she had started with the State Alchemist list, and that logic still made sense, but that mountain of untouched paperwork was depressing and Sheska figured she should at least make a start on it before tackling the list again. Her eyes roved down the list of the alchemist she had already written down, searching for a place to begin. It alighted, not however on the name of one of the absent Alchemists, but instead on that of the Flame Alchemist. Now that, She thought, was another catastrophe waiting to happen.

To most people of course it appeared as though everything was perfectly okay, or at least as okay as it could be after two assassination attempts and a battle. To Sheska, however, it was apparent that something much more fundamental was very wrong indeed. In the three days since he had left the hospital he had been more gruff, more snappish, and more abrupt than was normal even for him, and she didn't have to look far for the reason.

Between one thing and another Sheska had spent a good deal of time around Mustang, both previously and over the past three days, and she hadn't taken long to realize that there was something wrong between the General and Hawkeye. She still went with him to meetings and followed any of the orders he might give her without question but those orders had become few and far between. More often now he would send Havoc or one of the others to do the work that had previously been hers. Also, Sheska had seen Hawkeye walking around Central on her own far more often than had previously been the case. In earlier times, Hawkeye had often seemed to her like an extension of the General, a politer more tactful and more hard-working extension. It has been as though those two shared some special connection, she always anticipating his movements and doing what was needed to ensure his plans were successful, he relying on her to watch his back and to know without being told how she could best forward his plans.

Now however they didn't even seem to be able to look at each other let alone communicate. Now they each did their duty by the other but never seemed to speak unless it was absolutely necessary. It was as though the invisible link that connected them had been broken and outside of their team Sheska thought that she might very well be the only one to had noticed.

She felt as though shot to do something but she wasn't sure exactly what. Relationships were not specialty. She didn't even have the faintest idea what was wrong between the two Generals. Maybe she could… Ummm…

This time it was not her head hitting the desk that jerked Sheska out of her thoughts but rather sharp rap of gunfire. She leaped to her feet, knocking over her swivel chair in the process but she was only halfway to the door when she heard a cry of pain and a man's voice, obviously triumphant despite its strong Drachman accent. "This is the end of the line for you, Lieutenant General Hawkeye!" Even as she sprinted the rest of the way to the door, the words she had so recently quoted flashed unbidden to the forefront of her mind_. "Three can keep a secret if two are in the grave."_ It seemed that the secret wasn't done with them yet.

* * *

Edward Elric was many things, but a murderer he was not. He would never let his brother do something as stupid as opening the gateway and possibly unleashing the horrors of this land into Amestris.

This horrible land. With its broken world, cloaked in war. So unsteady, like a large boulder, perched on a weak peak, always threatening to fall, crushing everything in it's wake.

He imagined what could have happened if that crazy Eckhart succeeded... Amestris would be destroyed, and this crazy cult would have complete and utter control.

Imagine if they found Alchemy.

They would become much more powerful- and dangerous.

"EDWARD ELRIC I AM CALLING YOU!" Ed heard with an angry emphasis.

He whipped his head around.

He saw Riza standing in the doorway, looking displeased.

"Sorry!" He smiled, reaching behind his head.

He walked over to her.

She quickly ushered him inside.

Mustang- "Roy" sat at the table.

"Listen kid," He said, clasping his hands together, "I need you to go to town with Noah and your Brother. We need you guys to pick up a few things." He tossed Ed a list.

"Hay bedding & chicken feed, gloves for Al..." Ed read, " Riza's veil?"

He looked up at his employer.

"What! She picked up the dress last week and they forgot the veil! So I need you to pick it up." Roy said in a very monitone- matter-a-fact-Mustang manor.

Ed glared at him and turned scarlet.

"Fine" he said through gritted teeth.

Roy threw him the car keys.

"You know how to drive that thing right?" he said smugly with a smirk.

Ed just glared in anger.

"Also, there are a few things you can trade at the supply. They're in the truck bed." he said, still smirking.

Ed exited the house and found Noah and Al waiting near the car.  
"Okay, lets go." he grumbled, opening the car door and climbing into the driver's seat.

They had a peaceful journey to the town.

They passed a few gypsies, traveling either in carts or on foot, all in colorful clothes, trying to rake business in.

Ed pulled the car to a halt in front of the farming supplies store.

He threw a sideways glance while exiting the vehicle at Noah, who he could see at that angle, who was clinging onto her seat so hard that her fingertips were white.

He got out of the car with Noah.

Al got out behind them.

"Brother! Was the speeding necessary!" Al shouted at his brother

"At least I didn't crash." Ed said, he had driven automobiles before... never quite as successfully as today's ride.

Al quickly silenced himself.

"Al, I need you to go check with the Envies, if they have any information." Ed said, hopefully they had found something on the bomb.

Al nodded his head, then went down a street to go check with the Envies.

As Noah and Ed stepped through the door, a small bell chimed overhead.

The dark wooden shelves of the store were packed with farming products, and from one olive-green wall to the other olive- green wall, lay empty traps, used to catch rodents, and other animals causing trouble on a farm.

The packed shelves had old merchandise; some of the feed in the feed area was spoiled. You could tell that it had been awhile since the owner hadn't sold much.

Ed and Noah walked up to the dark wood counter and rang the little bell on top to alert the attendant further that they were there.

"I'm coming!" an old man's voice rang out from the back room.

As they waited, Ed noticed that the olive green wallpaper, was crumbling from the tobacco-stained white trim.

"How may I help you?" the man asked.

"Yes, hello. I'm here on behalf of my boss, and he told me to pick up a few things." Ed said.

"What did he ask you to get?"

"Hay bedding, chicken feed, horse feed, chicken wire and a pair of work gloves." Ed said to the man.

"The feeds are down that way," he said pointing down an isle of shelves, "Near the window. The bedding is near the door and the gloves are in that isle there," he continued, pointing to an isle far away from the previous one he pointed at.

"When you're done collecting that come back here," he said.

Ed and Noah walked down to the area with the feed, and selected the heavy bags.

Next, Ed had Noah get the gloves and he retrieved the chicken wire.

They lugged the sacks of feed to the front, along with the gloves and chicken wire.

"The Hay bedding is that way," the old man said.

Ed walked back with Noah and selected a few bales that appeared to still be good enough to use.

"So, how are you going to pay for it?" the old man asked.

"I have a few things from my employer."

"That'll do," the man said.

Noah went and retrieved the goods from the truck.

After paying the bill, they loaded the truck bed.

Ed and Noah climbed back into the truck.

He drove down the street to the tailor.

"Can you please go get it?" He asked Noah. He wouldn't embarrass himself like Mustang wanted.

She looked back at him.

She then climbed out of the car and picked up the veil, then they went to try and find Al.

Ed speeded down the streets. Noah was clinging to her seat for dear life.

The searched everywhere that was a common rondayvu point- but Al was nowhere to be found.

Ed pulled the car over next to the park.

"We should go search it." he said to Noah. It was the only spot that they hadn't checked.

They began to casually stroll through the park, so not to attract attention to themselves.

Ed's eyes searched frantically for his brother or the Envies.

He took in the pleasant site of the park. A large pond was on his right. Ducks glided on the surface and fish swam beneath the water. The water itself was greenish. It has Lilly pads floating on its placid glassy surface.

The trees stood tall and stern, their limbs climbing to the sky.

It was a pleasant day.

Few people walked past Ed and Noah as they ventured to the park's core.

When they arrived at the large fountain, the area was empty.

They had toured more than half the park, and there was no sign of Al.

"I don't think he's here Ed." Noah said.

Ed sat down in frustration on the side of the fountain.

"Then where is he!"

Noah looked down upon him, with her eyes filled with pity.

She sat down next to him.

" I don't know, but he'll come back and find you. He would never leave you." She said.

"Not like the way I left him." Ed said quietly.

Noah looked at him.

"When you cling to your past, you have no future." She said.

Ed stared at his gloved hands.

He thought he had let his past go a long time ago.

He and Al gave up on resurrecting their mother after it went wrong, and so to stop the memories of their mother and the regret of their failure, they left their home.

But Ed had never let go of Risenbool. It was his home after all. He never made contact because he did not want his memories returning and the reminder that he failed.

After everything he went through to restore his brother, he still lost because his brother had to resurrect him. And Ed had gone through the gateway to bring his brother back.

After he returned, he had left Amestris behind to save it, it was his only selfless deed that he had done.

Noah was right. He must put the past behind him. He lived in a different world now; he had to make the best of it.

"You're right. I cling to the past too much." he said.

"We all do." She said, "I've seen into the lives of so many people, and each of them carries a piece of the past, some of them more than others. Those who are trying to forget their past by hiding it, often have the strongest pieces of all."

He had been trying to hide his past. His world was not one he could return to. He had to stay here, alienated from his homeland, because that was the only thing saving it. Preserving it so that everyone can live happily.

It was equivalent exchange. He must stay here, alone, for his home to be spared.

But he had to let go. Why should he hold onto a world where he couldn't be?

To friends that he couldn't see? To a job he couldn't do?

To a science he couldn't use...

_What use was it holding on? _

What if Al was right?

It would just take a simple transmutation circle and some blood...

And they would be back!

But would the portal close?

Someone would need to close it... Noah maybe?

But what if she refuses? She wanted to come with him after all.

Who would close it then?

Ed took a moment to look down. He became overwhelmed with his thoughts.

He breathed in sharply, then gazed at the pavement for a moment.

He wondered what Amestris was like now.

It probably was living in peace... somewhat... His homeland was not the best at keeping peace.

He thought about the Cornel.

He probably was same as ever. Arrogant. Ambitious...

He wondered how Hawkeye and the rest of the guys were- he barely saw them while the battle was happening...

He would never admit it out loud, but he kinda missed being a "dog of the military"

It was decent pay, and he had a treasure trove of knowledge at his fingertips.

He paused.

He had to move on.

_Leave it behind. _

_Let go of the emotions of the past. _

He turned to Noah and kissed her.

First she seemed to exhibit shock, but then relaxed.

He moved away from her.

She stared at him.

"You're right. I do need to let go."

Before she could say anything, Al appeared and ran up.

"Ed! We found one of the members of the Thuel society!"

"What?!"  
"He lives nearby. He owns a large house and is a contributing member of society. No one would ever think it was him... but we found him." The seemingly nice Envy said.

"Where it he?!" Ed shouted

"Come on!" Al pulled him down twists and turns of small side streets and little alleyways until they reached a large house surrounded by a shallow wall.

They stood in the park across the street.

"This is his house?" Ed asked.

"Yeah." The nicer one said.

"It's awfully fancy for a society that otherwise would like to be kept secret."

"Guys! Someone's coming out!" Noah said in a stage whisper.

The door cracked open and an old dog slipped out of the door.

It was white in the face and slow.

The next to exit was a young girl with light brown hair in a long braid down her back.

She couldn't be more than eleven.

She carried a sketchbook in one hand with a bushel of colored pencils in the other.  
A pencil stood out from behind her ear.

Ed felt his body go numb.

In front of him was a ghost.

Two ghosts.

The girl in front of him had died years ago.

Killed by a man with white hair, red eyes and an incredibly noticeable X shaped scar on his face.

_No. It can't be! _

_She's dead! _

The bone chilling memory of her final words to him.

_"Ed-ward? Fri-end?" _

The horrible crime committed by a psycho- a mad man.

He used his dog... He used his daughter.

_Nina_

* * *

Next Time: Eye Of Hawk, Hand Of Death: "This is the end of the line for you, Lieutenant General Hawkeye!" not to mention Noah Nina and Tucker oh my! Ed has finely found a member of Thuel society but can eather he or Al do anything that might risk hurting a friend they have already failed to save once?

Artemiskey- I am in no way a NoahX Ed shipper- EdWin all the way. Just using it for dramatics

We are, unfortunately going to have to take another, this time seven week, hiatus after this chapter. NOT BECAUSE WE ARE OUT OF IDEAS (As a matter of fact I've just bin rewatching FMA wile showing it to my two little cosines and am therefor once again FULL of ideas) but because I (Fearel) am leaving for my sleep away camp the day after tomorrow and will be remaining there as a CIT for seven weeks and as they have only just discovered the wonderful invention that is indoor pluming, I dote they will discover internet access for at least a decade or three. That of corse means no more chapters until I return but look for an update soon after. Artemiskey however will be working at a local camp and therefor will be writing and messageable all summer.

So until next time, I hope you enjoyed and PLEASE REVIEW!


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